Optical micrometers for high-speed, high-resolution inspection

Pulleys are used in a wide variety of applications and are required to meet strict manufacturing quality standards. As pulleys often need to operate in applications where high torques and rotational speeds are present, any deviations in the dimensions of the pulley during manufacture can very quickly lead to defects in the shaft bearings during operation. Dimensional stability and concentricity are therefore critical quality factors. This is why pulleys need to be inspected thoroughly after they are manufactured.

QS-Grimm, which builds specialist inspection equipment, has developed a special-purpose measuring system for manufactured pulleys. Several testing stations inspect various quality criteria. These measuring stations each comprise four optoCONTROL 2500 optical micrometers supplied by Micro-Epsilon. These sensors measure the geometrical dimensions and verify the diameter of the pulleys in two locations. Two sensors each record the tip diameter on a plane to the left and right of the pulley. Due to their ability to evaluate the measurement data in one plane very rapidly, the diameter of the tip can be determined accurately to a resolution of 0.1um.

Combined sensor and controller

Micro-Epsilon's optoCONTROL 2500 is a laser-based measuring system with an integrated high-resolution CCD camera. The ThruBeam micrometer measures the dimension of an object or the position of an edge by using the shadow-casting principle. The data obtained with various selectable measuring programmes is output via analogue and digital interfaces. Due to its high measuring speed, outstanding accuracy and excellent resolution, the laser micrometer is highly suitable for precision measurement and inspection tasks on moving products in production environments.

The optoCONTROL 2500 consists of a sensor unit and a controller, with the sensor unit comprising a laser light source (transmitter) and a CCD camera (receiver). A parallel light curtain is produced with the laser light source and the CCD array in the receiver measures the contour formed by the object's shadow. The sensor unit is controlled and evaluated by an intelligent controller with a graphical display for operation and display of measured values.

Follow the link for more information about the optoCONTROL 2500 optical micrometer. Alternatively, telephone +44 (0)151 355 6070 or email [email protected].