Optical 3D system does quality control at full production speed

Citation

(2006), "Optical 3D system does quality control at full production speed", Sensor Review, Vol. 26 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2006.08726daf.003

Optical 3D system does quality control at full production speed

Optical 3D system does quality control at full production speed

Keywords: Machine vision, Image sensors

Manufacturing companies in the flooring and furniture industry can now monitor and quality-control their end product without stopping the flow of production. The solution is in the Veneer-QI (quality inspector) inspection system, which performs real-time scanning of surfaces, edges or holes on products during manufacture. The system is being launched by Swedish metrology company OptoNova, an offshoot of the Hasselblad camera company (Plate 2).

Plate 2 With a combination of laser and vision technology, the Veneer-QI inspection system detects veneer defects in the production of flat furniture

Veneer-QI was developed to inspect and ensure the highest quality in the production of wood veneer furniture, in line and at full production speed. Through an innovative combination of laser and vision technology, the system detects veneer defects such as chipping, voids, cracks, open joints, dents, etc. in production.

One metre a second

To increase their ability to compete with cheaper production from low-wage countries, European manufacturers may need to increase their rate of production and quality. This is difficult without automatic inspection. Usually, veneer-coated flat furniture is produced at a speed of 10-20mmin^-1. At that speed the human eye has enough time to detect quality defects. With Veneer-QI, it will be possible to produce high-quality veneer at speeds of up to 60mmin^-1 – 1ms^-1, a speed at which it is hard for the human eye to inspect the product.

Defective furniture parts can be rejected automatically. The system can also sound an alarm or stop production if, for instance, it detects three consecutive units with quality failings. All manufacturing data can, for example, be reported to the company's management information system. The manufacturer then gets the information needed to keep the quality and efficiency of the production lines optimised. “All this is done in real time,” says Tomas Rostvall, Optical Engineer at Optonova.

For further information, visit the web site: www.optonova.se