VISION & GEOMETRICS SOLUTIONS FOR MANUFACTURING
Vision and Geometrics systems are automated systems that use robotics, sensors, vision technology, and even artificial intelligence (AI) to execute advanced inspections, detections, measurement, gauging, among other industrial automations.
These solutions can be integrated in various types of industries to help improving efficiency, quality, traceability, and accuracy of manufacturing processes.
High resolution cameras and precise motion systems equip Vision and Geometrics applications. They can also be integrated with robots and programmed to meet the most specific requirements. Discover how your business can benefit from automation.
Categories of Vision and Geometrics Systems
Advanced Manufacturing Solutions
Not sure where to begin? We have proven, modular designs to help get you started. If you need something a bit different, no problem, our experts are available to customize it just for you.
Check out our quality inspection solutions:
I-CV
I-DV
High Precision Measurement & Gauging of Laser Cut Features
Our customer required 100% 'in-line' inspection of 10 laser cut features (position, diameter, and shape) on octagonal tubes with tight tolerances.
BOS tested and selected a high resolution Cognex camera with specialty optics and lighting for the application. The camera was mounted on a high precision single-axis motion system to allow for the inspection of multiple features along the length of the part. To allow for features to be inspected on all eight sides of the octagonal part, the part was fixtured on a rotary axis.
As part of a turnkey system integration, a material handling robot loaded and unloaded the inspection station to ensure every part that came out of the BOS L-MS laser cell was immediately validated as 'good' before being passed downstream. The system automatically rejected all 'bad' parts.
The inspection system was successfully integrated into this production line with a 20 second part to part cycle time. The system achieved a Gage R’n’R result of <10% and it demonstrated a static repeatability of 0.006mm.
3D Vision Guided Robotic Fastening and Torquing
Our customer required rivnuts to be robotically fastened into holes on parts that were hollow rails. The incoming rails were all bent to some degree (the parts were either "smiling" or "frowning"), which caused variability in hole position between like parts.
To make things a little more challenging, there were 5 rail variants in total, each with multiple holes requiring rivnuts.
BOS utilized FANUC 3D vision on the rivnut robot(s) to integrate a robust process that allowed for the variability in hole position to exist and accommodated for it within the required cycle time for the system.
Repeatable location of critical features (holes) to achieve the required cycle time of 29 or 34 seconds, depending on part variant.
The cost of 3D vision hardware was offset by the ability to utilize a more cost-effective part fixturing design as a result of the vision guidance.
Gauge Machine for EV Battery Cooling Plates
Our customer required an automated solution capable of inspecting the dimensional accuracy on fitting placement of battery cooling plates designed for electric vehicles (EVs).
There were three (3) different part variants. The piece of equipment would be manually tended (loaded/unloaded) by operators and the total cycle time required was 20 seconds, regardless of part variant. Manual changeover between part variants with required time of less than 10 minutes.
BOS designed a gauge machine to be placed beside a previously integrated BOS L-MS laser welding cell at the customer facility. This automated quality inspection equipment features a vision system, and an operator load station. The vision system was comprised of 10 Basler 5 MP GigE Cameras, 3 Keyence Barcode Scanners (1 for each part variant), a Keyence High-Speed Optical Micrometer, and dome lights to visually indicate pass and fail of each scanned part.
The automated solution has been successfully integrated into the production line with a 20 second part to part cycle time, and is achieving quality, and technical availability requirements for our customer. Additionally, by having integrated several gauge machines in the past, BOS has streamlined the integration costs of these quality inspection systems and was able to pass these savings on to the end customer.
3D Vision Guided Robotic Grommet Insertion
Disclaimer: This photo is a concept demonstration for marketing purposes of the integrated production system.
Our customer required rubber grommets to be installed in vehicles passing overhead.
Each vehicle required multiple grommets to be installed in the vehicle underbody in less than 60 seconds; there were two grommet variations in total.
Variation in overhead vehicle position and contact deflection needed to be considered in the design.
BOS used a robot with a revolver-style vacuum EOAT to pick grommets from a pallet. Our Team also utilized FANUC 3D-L vision to guide the robot to position prior to insertion, accommodating for position variability.
A second robot was utilized to refill the pallet with grommets for the next vehicle. It picked grommets from the escapement of a feeder system and placed them in the pallet while the first robot completed its insertion sequence.
BOS utilized additive manufacturing (FDM 3D printing) to rapidly prototype multiple iterations of the vacuum gripper fingers for the EOAT to identify the best design alternative.
The automated solution has been successfully integrated into the production line and is achieving cycle time, quality, and technical availability requirements for our customer.
Additive manufacturing demonstrated its value as part of the design process to facilitate quicker innovation for our customer.
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