Applications »Production Control«

Inspection and control in production

Inline measuring technology provides useful data for controlling quality and for optimizing industrial processes. It plays an increasingly important role in industrial production against the backdrop of Industry 4.0. Fraunhofer IPM develops optical systems and imaging techniques for measuring surfaces and 3D structures. The systems detect very small impurities or defects, even at high production speeds, or identify components by their surface structure. The turnkey measurement systems are designed robustly for use in industrial production.

 

Cleanliness and coatings

Surface analysis

Our systems measure coating thicknesses of body panels, strip metal or small components down to the nanometer range and detect contamination of just a few milligrams per square meter. This is done so quickly that inspection of cleanliness and coating is possible directly in production.

 

Texture and defects

Surface inspection

We develop inspection systems for monitoring the quality of technical surfaces – from complex 3D components to fine wire.

The imaging systems measure surface defects with an accuracy down to the micrometer range.

 

3D and 2D

Geometry measurement

We rely on digital multi-wavelength holography for contactless, high-precision and fast component testing.

Our robust measuring systems can be integrated directly into production systems or machine tools.

 

Traceability

Component identification

Complete traceability of the production history is useful also in the case of mass-produced components in order to continuously optimize production processes. 

With our Track & Trace fingerprint systems, components can be clearly identified every second, even with batch sizes of several 100,000 units – marker-free and tamper-proof.

 

3D and 2D

Deformation measurement

Fraunhofer IPM develops fast and robust measurement technology for materials testing, with which strains and deformations can be measured with micrometer or nanometer precision.

The measuring systems are suitable for material testing as well as for measuring machine parts or electronic components during operation.

 

Properties and composition

Materials testing

With just a few pulses of light, our systems determine the elemental composition of metal surfaces and coatings – reliably and precisely. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) enables coating processes to be controlled.