Multi sensor inline-inspection of high pressure forming parts

The 100%-quality control of large high-pressure forming parts is a time-consuming task. Defects can be detected by scanning the whole surface using an eddy current system. A complete scan is a slow process and not always feasible for complex geometries. Optical systems are suitable for the detection of defects like thinning and cracks but also produce pseudo defects due to noise created by pollution and extraneous light. In this paper, we show a method to eliminate pseudo defects using a supplementary, highly-reliable sensor system. A method for the automated, fast inline-inspection of high pressure forming parts using a combination of camera and an eddy current system is proposed. Both the camera and the eddy current probe are integrated into a sensor head of a 3-axis portal. The complete surface is observed by a camera. Potentially defective areas are identified after several image processing steps and the positions and sizes of the suspicious areas are stored. In a second step the 3-axis-portal performs an eddy current scan of the stored areas and verifies the found defects.