Patent application pending:

The special lens achieves the highest inspection resolution independent of the size of the connecting rods For the first time at Automatica, VITRONIC will exihibited a robust machine vision solution for the inspection of the internal running surface of connecting rods. Special lenses, that are subject to a patent-pending application, make it possible to find the tiniest defects even with large rod eye diameters. Another advantage for the user: because it is free from moving parts the camera system is wear-free The piston rod is brought and positioned for inspection in a fully automated way by means of a hub bar transporter. Thereby the two connecting rods are lowered above the special lens. In the course of their turning, the VINSPEC camera system takes pictures of the mantel surfaces of the connecting rods and evaluates them reliably for the presence of certain defects. The special lenses that belong to the patent-pending application make it pos-sible to achieve constantly high inspection resolution independent of the size of the connecting rods. Another advantage for the user: except for the special lenses, nei-ther the camera nor the piston rod needs to be handled in any way during the inspection. The wear-free VINSPEC inspection system is free of any movable cables. The new inspection system for piston rods has already proven itself in multi-shift mode at one of the largest German automobile manufacturers. In addition, the company is inspecting the running surfaces for eventually visible crack lines as well as all plane faces of both connecting rods. Thanks to its intelligent inspection design, the robust machine vision solution ensures reliable quality control for a long time, independent of the size of the piston rod.