Oil Filter end cap Inspection System for Filter Manufacturer

- By Fine IT Solutions

This company is manufacturer of various types of filters. The components are carried over the conveyor and get assembled during the transit. These filters are of different sizes and hence run at different speeds. An end-cap / nut plate is an important component of the filter and play an important role in the leakage. So, it is very critical to inspect the lock-tite and the seal presence in the end-cap. The size of the end-cap varies based on size of the filter. Also, the type of the seal is different based on the filter type. Fine IT Solutions has provided contact-less solution for the inspection of the end caps on the existing conveyor line. This solution consists of camera optics and the image processing software along with component detection sensor. This sensor detects the presence of the component and indicates the camera system to capture the image. The captured image is processed by the software. The software checks various parameters based on which the loc-tite and seal presence is confirmed. The location of the seal and the continuity of the lock-tite is checked by the software. Based on this checking process, decision is taken as Pass / Fail for the component. The result is communicated to the pneumatic pusher to push out the failed component in rejected bin. The system is validated for multiple variety of filter types being assembled on the conveyor line and found satisfactory for all of them.

Few highlights of the system: - Inline inspection on the conveyor - Component assembly and inspection speed of 45 components / min. - Variation in Loctite bead thickness and position - Various sample types, sizes - Component size varying from 80-130 mm diameter - Single solution required for covering all the components - Non-compliance rate of about 0.7% as against committed 1.5% The software screen with Pass / Fail indicator is as shown below:

The technical solution contains: - High speed camera with Megapixel lens - Ring light providing uniform illumination on the components of various sizes - Proxy sensor to detect the presence of the component below camera - Specially designed software to detect loc-tite and seal presence based on selected

component family - Configuration in the software to define component and adjust required parameters

as per component dimensions and sub-component positions within - Rejection sorting mechanism with the help of high speed pusher without disturbing

the next component on the conveyor