THE CUSTOMER CHALLENGE

Sealant volume and placement accuracy are critical to a moon roof's structural integrity and sealing performance. That's why it's important to continuously monitor glue coverage. But a visual inspection can be unreliable and inconsistent.

It's common for air bubbles to form in the lines causing "breaks" in the sealant. Existing infrared (IR) sensors are inconsistent and faulty. Black sealant on black background can be difficult for a visible-light camera to see and measure. Glue bead may fall off after applied, and breaks in continuous dispense can occur—which may affect the right amount of adhesive from being placed in the correct location.

Standard machine vision has not proven to be a consistent and repeatable verification method.

A SOLUTION

A thermal imager or an IR temperature sensor such as the Flir A50/A70 can help manufacturing professionals quickly and easily determine whether the glue bead or adhesive has been applied properly, has gaps, and is within required temperature limits.

A visual inspection can be unreliable and inconsistent, while a thermal inspection can show inconsistencies.

An IR temperature sensor enables 24/7 continuous monitoring, which can help reduce cycle times for high-volume production lines to maintain consistent process flow. Manufacturing professionals can then verify glue bead presence and coverage from a glue dispense robot.

Thermal imaging allows manufacturers to prevent water leaks by ensuring proper seals between the moon roof and the vehicle.

THE RESULTS

With thermal imaging technology, manufacturing professionals can prevent water leaks by ensuring better adhesion between the moon roof glass and the vehicle body. Companies can achieve maintenance, quality, and scrap goals using thermal imaging by:

• Clearly monitoring the glue dispense for clogged heads and inconsistent or incomplete coverage.
• Maintaining even coverage of glue dispense for product reliability.
• Preventing excess scrap issues that can occur due to poor process control.