High Performance: Imaging for reliable engine block inspection

Polytechnik Schmidt relies on machine vision systems from Teledyne DALSA to inspect sealing surfaces of cast aluminum engine blocks.

The engine represents the heart of every automobile. Performance and fuel consumption depend to a large extent on the quality of the engines used, which is why all parts of the drive system must perfectly correspond to the design specifications. This also applies to the sealing surfaces of engine blocks, as defects negatively affect the tightness of engines reducing both performance and life span.

In the engine production facilities of various German manufacturers, the components supplied to the motor vehicle engine blocks are carefully checked before assembly. “If the automobile manufacturers discover deficiencies, it leads to complaints and associated extra work for the supplier,” says Dietmar Schmidt, founder and Managing Director of Polytechnik Schmidt GmbH. “In the worst case, a car manufacturer can temporarily or completely block suppliers as a result of their supply of defective parts, which would naturally lead to considerable losses in sales for the companies concerned.”