Reflective surface defect detection sensor

| Information and Communication Technology

3D Sensor provides objective and repeatable evaluations of defects on shiny or reflective surfaces

A compact, high precision 3D sensor enables fast, reliable defect detection on shiny and reflecting surfaces

The perceived quality of smooth, defect-free surfaces is determined by the look and feel, colour and shape consistency of the surface. High quality finished surfaces are therefore a challenge for many industries, including automotive and aerospace component. Although inspectors are able to recognise a high proportion of surface defects reliably and quickly, visual evaluation is often subjective and depends heavily on several factors. The aim of surface inspection is therefore to achieve an objective and reproducible evaluation of the surface deviations in order to quickly and reliably make decisions with respect to component tolerances.

In order to help solve these challenges, Micro-Epsilon has introduced reflectCONTROL Sensor, a compact 3D non-contact surface inspection system for defect detection of reflecting surfaces such as polished or painted metals, glass, mirrors, painted plastics and galvanised surfaces.

Based on the deflectometry principle, reflectCONTROL Sensor projects a striped pattern onto the surface of the measurement object. Defects on the surface cause distortions of this striped pattern, which are then recorded by cameras and evaluated by software.

When inspecting flat surfaces, reflectCONTROL Sensor detects flatness deviations in the range of a few micrometers. Inspection cycles are less than two seconds per measuring position and the sensor provides a large measuring field. The sensor can be used in a stationary mode for monitoring processing/assembly lines or mounted on a robot to perform inline inspection. The sensor is therefore suitable for a variety of 100% inspection tasks including surface inspection of mirrors in automotive head-up displays.

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