Customer Story: Using 3D Scanning Technology in Automated Vision Inspection
The Challenge
Vitesco, formerly Continental Automotive, tasked Morgan Polymer Seals to manufacture and deliver T76 filter plates, with the expectation of zero defects. The filter plates feature a black rubber seal design on a black plastic carrier gasket, making defects hard to detect with the human eye. Inspecting the filter plates using automated vision inspection was also a challenge since the filter plates have an inspection area much larger than what typical high-speed-camera-enabled vision inspections can handle.
Background
Chevy Malibu
The T76 filter plate is a gasket for General Motor's 6-speed automatic transmission systems, used in popular models like the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Cruze, and Buick LaCrosse. The filter plate is used in conjunction with the car’s electronic transmission control module, which regulates the transmission’s gear shifting, and protects the module from any particles in the transmission fluid. If particles get into the control module, they can damage it and the module will not function properly. Without a properly working module, the car would be unable to change gears when needed, ultimately leading to an unreliable and potentially dangerous driving experience.
As is the case with all automotive manufacturers, Vitesco expects zero defective parts per million (zero PPM) from their supplier, and that was certainly the case for the T76 filter plate. It had to be defect-free to protect the integrity of the transmission control module.
Vitesco approached Morgan Polymer Seals with this program after a previous supplier struggled to meet the zero PPM expectation using manual inspection. Manual inspection proved insufficient for sorting out defective parts because the filter plate featured a black-on-black seal design (black nylon material on black Vamac material) that makes defects hard to see with the human eye. As a result, the previous supplier's inspection teams failed to sort out defective parts, and additional third-party certification was required to properly inspect the parts. This third-party certification, referred to as Level II Containment or CS2 controlled shipping, is very costly. It’s also hard to exit this level of inspection, or produce 90 days of defect-free parts, without automated vision inspection.
Once it became clear the filter plates would require automated vision inspection, another challenge presented itself: the filter plate is a much larger part than what can be inspected using commercially available automated vision inspection systems. Traditional camera-enabled systems can capture parts within a 2” diameter, but the T76 filter plate is 10” long by 2.5” wide and has more than 100 linear inches of seal bead to review.
The Solution
To effectively use automated vision inspection for the T76 filter plates, Morgan Polymer Seals developed their own vision inspection systems to include 3D scanning technology capable of inspecting larger parts.
Traditional vs. 3D Scanning
Traditional automated vision inspection employs a system of high-speed cameras, software, and automation hardware components to inspect each part thoroughly and quickly. Here’s how it works:
The parts are fed to a turntable by operators, sorted into a single file, and run underneath a series of high-speed cameras.
Each camera focuses on a specific section of the part and compares the inspection images to images of parts with known defects.
Parts without defects pass the inspection and move down the manufacturing line, while defective parts are rejected and removed from the line.
A traditional vision inspection system relies on cameras, and there are only so many cameras you can physically add to the inspection station, so the field of view is limited to parts roughly 2 inches in diameter. Even with the limited field of inspection, automated vision inspection systems can inspect thousands of part types and achieve zero PPM.
Morgan Polymer’s automation team developed a specialized technology dubbed “MAGIC”.
Morgan Polymer Seals not only embraced automated vision inspection but developed its own in-house vision inspection systems: Morgan Automated Gasket Inspection Control, or MAGIC. Unlike turnkey systems with limited functionality, the Morgan Polylmer automation engineers designed the MAGIC systems to inspect specific product families and part styles, with the capability to add more functionality as needed.
Adding 3D Scanning to Automated Vision Inspection
For the T76 filter plate, Morgan Polymer Seals customized its MAGIC system to use a 3D laser scanner instead of cameras to open up the field of inspection. Here’s how it works:
Operators feed the parts into a turntable where the part runs underneath the laser scanner to inspect the first side.
Next, a robotic arm flips the part, then reruns the part under the scanner to capture the other side.
The scan is compared to a digital model of the part to identify discrepancies and defects.
Parts without defects pass the inspection and move down the manufacturing line, while defective parts are rejected and removed from the line.
By adding a laser scanner, MAGIC can now inspect much larger parts like the T76 filter plate.
High-Volume Production
Once the engineers addressed the part size limitations of automated vision inspection, there were other demands to meet. Vitesco needed a large quantity of T76 filter plates manufactured, inspected, and shipped on time. In other words, Morgan Polymer Seals had to develop a process that would handle the high volume at a rate fast enough to meet the shipping deadlines.
Morgan Polymer Seals made notable improvements to the manufacturing process to deliver a high volume of parts quickly. Morgan Polymer maximized the conveyor belt speed to balance the demand required without altering the integrity of the inspection process.
Engineers also improved the molding process to help eliminate defects ahead of inspection. A previous supplier manufactured the T76 filter plates using an intricate injection molding process to create the parts. The problem was that the setup was very complex, which made the process overly complicated. This complex process added hours of troubleshooting, ultimately costing the customer time and money. To address this, Morgan Polymer Seals used transfer molding in a vacuum press to improve the process and eliminate issues related to injection molding.
Morgan Polymer Seals now successfully manufactures and ships 1.2 million filter plates per year to Vitesco - always delivered on time.
Conclusion
Morgan Polymer Seals is constantly innovating, both its processes and technology. In the case of the T76 filter plate, Morgan Polymer Seals improved upon a previous supplier's manufacturing process and innovated vision inspection with cutting-edge 3D scanning technology. The result was a high-volume program with zero PPM quality and on-time delivery.
Since 1997, Morgan Polymer Seals has been a reliable full-service supplier to OEMs in North America, Europe, and China. To learn more about how Morgan Polymer Seals can help you, click the button below to contact a product specialist.