Thermal Machine Vision

Non-Destructive Inspection of Weld Seams for Proper Joints and Healthy Connection

Welds are crucial to an automobile's safety and quality, but standard methods for testing are destructive. Most often, these tests are costly and only feasible for a small part of the weld. In order to properly check the weld and gain meaningful insight into the welding processes, some inspectors are starting to use thermal imaging to visualize weld seam quality.

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The Challenge

Although welding devices and processes are highly developed today, there is still a need for random process-inspection and quality control. Welds are crucial to an automobile's safety and quality, as any error might result in instability of the chassis in the event of a crash or benefit corrosion. The challenge is avoiding destructive testing - which costs more and is only feasible for a small part of the weld - while still gaining confirmation and meaningful insight into the welding processes and their results.

The Solution

Active thermography provides a two-dimensional visualization of the weld seam quality. With a thermal imaging solution such as the Flir a50/a70, missing joints and other failure patterns can be detected autonomously in lab or in-line inspection units. This process requires an excitation source (e.g. inductive, laser, or halogen lamp), a thermal camera, and software specially designed for active thermography applications. All can be integrated into the manufacturing process for greater efficiency.

The Results

Based on the thermal energy from a weld, software can distinguish failure categories and do spatial measurements of weld length and diameter (depending on weld type). Manufacturing professionals are then able to avoid costs associated with destructive testing, stay 100% in control and in line, improve efficiency, gain meaningful process insight for optimization and minimal failure, and improve customer safety by ensuring welding strength on the chassis, resulting in a reduced risk of fatalities or injuries.

Flir Products for Welding Inspections

FLIR A50/A70 Image Streaming

Compact GigE Cameras

FLIR A50/A70 Image Streaming

Fixed-Mount Thermal Camera

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FLIR A50/A70 Smart Sensor

Smart Camera Solutions

FLIR A50/A70 Smart Sensor

Fixed-Mount Thermal Camera

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FLIR Axxx-Series Image Streaming

High Performance GigE Cameras

FLIR Axxx-Series Image Streaming

Fixed-Mount Thermal Camera

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FLIR Axxx-Series Smart Sensor

Smart Camera Solutions

FLIR Axxx-Series Smart Sensor

Fixed-Mount Thermal Camera

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FLIR A6700 MWIR

High Performance A-Series Cameras

FLIR A6700 MWIR

Science-Grade MWIR InSb Camera

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FLIR A6750 SLS

High Performance A-Series Cameras

FLIR A6750 SLS

Longwave Infrared Thermal Camera

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