Measurement Sensors

Measurement Sensors for the Automotive Manufacturing Industry

Precision is critical in the automotive industry. Everything, from engine components and paneling to the interior, undergoes meticulous design and manufacturing processes to ensure the maximum performance, reliability, and safety of the vehicle.

To help with this, KEYENCE sensors provide the automotive manufacturing industry with reliable solutions for a variety of precise measurement and inspection needs at every stage of production. From component manufacturing to body assembly, our sensors drive quality and process control improvements that help suppliers/manufacturers meet the increasingly high standards for vehicle safety and customer satisfaction.

Importance of Precision Measurements in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry

The automotive industry has a major responsibility, as its products directly impact the safety of its consumers. In fact, anything less than 100% reliability under normal operating conditions can cost lives and massive financial losses in recalls.

That is why the industry can’t afford to overlook precision measurements in every component or part that goes into making a vehicle. That’s where precision measurement sensors come into play—they ensure that every component and part is correctly cut, milled, molded, extruded, and assembled before a vehicle is sent to the next stage of production.

3D Part Inspection

Every part and component has to be inspected for defects before entering the assembly line. However, traditional measurement systems are largely outdated, and the automotive industry mostly relies on 2D/3D laser profilers, such as LJ-X8000 Series, to scan the part for any defects or deviations from predetermined parameters.

These sensors, often used for quality inspections, can detect defects and deviations at a µm (micrometer range), thus ensuring that only high-quality, per-spec products reach the assembly circuit. This way, only high-quality parts and components are installed, further enhancing the quality of the product.

Vehicle Body Inspection

Welding has extensive applications in the automotive industry, particularly when it comes to paneling, brackets, covers, springs, seats, hinges, etc. A typical vehicle has around 5,000 weld spots, and inspecting these by hand in a robot-run and fast-moving production line is impossible.

That’s why welding robots use 2D/3D laser profilers to locate the weld seam, track and guide the process along the seam, and subsequently inspect the weld. This significantly enhances the efficiency of the welding process.

Automotive and Parts Manufacturing

KEYENCE also provides non-contact measurement solutions for quality assurance automation for parts manufacturing. These are typically comprised of vision systems and 2D and 3D laser profilers, as well as confocal laser displacement sensors to inspect each part during the manufacturing process and the subsequent quality assurance.

These solutions are often implemented into fully automated control systems and provide inline inspection of manufactured parts, ensuring that only the highest-quality, defect-free parts reach subsequent assembly lines.

Types of Sensors for the Automotive Manufacturing Industry

As previously stated, the automotive industry relies on a number of different sensors to ensure precision measurement of parts, components, and machine assemblies. These range from using confocal laser displacement sensors, such as CL-3000 Series, to measure rotor runouts to using advanced laser profilers, such as LJ-X8000, to inspect the critical dimensions of connecting rods.

Of course, these aren’t the only measurement sensors the automotive industry relies on. KEYENCE offers other precision measuring sensors aimed at the automotive industry, like laser micrometers, 3D scanners, and various laser displacement sensors.

Integrating Measurement Sensors into Automotive Manufacturing Processes

The high precision associated with the measurement sensors and quality assurance solutions KEYENCE offers significantly enhances the quality of the end product and thus ensures driver and passenger safety. If you’re interested in updating your manufacturing and assembly lines, contact KEYENCE; the company’s experienced staff will answer all inquiries you have about integrating KEYENCE solutions into your existing manufacturing and processing lines.

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Automated Measurement and Inspection Examples: Vehicle Assembly

Automated Measurement and Inspection Examples: Vehicle Assembly

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