Zerogravity3DTM is a system composed of multiple cameras with an optimised spatial layout to ensure accuracy and precision in the reconstruction of the object under inspection while it is free falling inside the capture device.
Zerogravity3DTM is a system composed of multiple cameras with an optimised spatial layout to ensure accuracy and precision in the reconstruction of the object under inspection while it is free falling inside the capture device.
The System
Quality is a requirement that is present and growing in all areas of industry. Even more so in critical sectors such as the automobile, aeronautics, industrial machinery and others, where by the day there is a greater emphasis on the guarantee of zero defects due to their importance and impact on the final product: automobiles, aircraft, machine tools…
This means that the quality control of products that require meticulous verification of their dimensions and finishes, either because the production process can introduce deviations and mixes, or because of the final customer’s requirements, is still carried out in many cases by sampling and in some cases even 100% manually. This manual intervention requires the manipulation of each piece and negatively impacts the inspection capacity, profitability and competitiveness of the product on the market.
This situation is aggravated in the case of products with low unit cost but high impact on the final product (springs, spring devices, screws), in which any manipulation or manual process has an extremely negative impact on the final cost of the product.
1.Capture
The first innovation is our free-fall technology, and it is based on the capture device. The objects to be inspected enter the device automatically, by free fall from the top or by being pushed up from the bottom, which allows the object to be captured in its entirety (360°) without the need to manipulate it and without any concealment.
The capture device consists of a set of cameras (16 in its standard version) distributed in a spatial arrangement optimised to ensure accuracy, precision and absence of concealment in the reconstruction of the piece.
2.Reconstruction
Once all the images are available, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the piece is carried out. The 3D reconstruction techniques developed by the ITI allow this phase to be very fast and enable the processing of parts with a high production volume.
3.Inspection
The reconstructed object is compared with a reference model loaded from its CAD drawing or by training the model on the machine itself with artificial intelligence techniques from correct samples of the part to be inspected. In the comparison process, the deviations of the part from the model are automatically detected, based on the type of control applied and the programmed tolerances, and finally the transport and ejection system is activated for its acceptance or rejection. Our technology incorporates three levels of control to achieve total quality, which are activated or not depending on the needs of each batch of product under inspection:
- Geometric control.
- Dimensional metrology based on GD&T industrial standards.
- Surface quality control.
Innovation
Its most innovative feature is our patented free-fall (non-contact) capture system. This effect is achieved either by dropping the part from the top of the device or by launching the part from the bottom of the system. This solution represents an innovation in the field of industrial inspection and removes the need to manipulate the part to be checked.
Optimisation and Versatility
ZeroGravity3DTM is a fast and reliable system, conceived and developed to work in the production line, which allows the instant capture of the image of the object (in real time) and does not require reconfiguration when changing the part to be inspected. All this, without increasing costs or slowing the manufacturing process down.
It has been designed to maximise its versatility and allow the inspection of a very wide range of different types of parts, guaranteeing a rapid return on investment.
Automation
Our ZeroGravity3DTM technology allows a 100% verification of the production in those cases where, due to the type of product, its unit cost, its design or for other reasons, it is not feasible or very expensive to carry out a manual verification of the total production and yet this is required by the final customer.