Case Study · Gauge Manufacturing
Presence / Absence Inspection of Threads and Dowels on a Circular Metal Component
A sensor-triggered smart camera system that inspects every thread and dowel hole on a rotating circular metal component — six triggers per rotation — and passes real-time OK / NOK results to the PLC.
Industry
Manufacturing · Gauge Manufacturing
Application
Presence / absence of thread & dowel on a circular metal component
The Application
Verifying every thread and dowel before the gauge moves on
In the gauge manufacturing industry, vision systems play a crucial role in ensuring precision, accuracy and quality control throughout production. Cameras and sensors are integrated into the production line to inspect gauges at various stages of manufacturing.
In this application, the system checks for the presence or absence of threads and dowels on a circular metal component — automatically, in real time and with less reliance on manual checking — so that each gauge meets the required standard before reaching the final stage.
Key Factors
- Sensor based Triggering
- Real-Time Data Transfer to PLC
- Improved Part Tracking
- Sequential Six-Triggering
- High Speed Rotary Inspection
Performance at a Glance
Sequential triggering across a rotating part
6
Sensor triggers per rotation, one for each thread / hole.
135 ms
Tool time shown on the result screen.
856 ms
Job run time shown on the result screen.
Operation
How the inspection works
The system is automated around a sensor trigger and the PLC, inspecting each thread and hole as the component rotates.
01
PLC input & rotation
The system receives input from the PLC and the circular component rotates through the inspection position.
02
Six sensor triggers
During rotation the sensor triggers the camera six times, once for each thread / hole.
03
Smart camera inspection
The smart camera processes each image to check for the required threads and dowels, using features taught to classify OK and NOK parts.
04
OK / NOK result
Correct threads and dowels give an OK status; any missing or defective feature is flagged NOK and the faulty component is rejected manually.
Final Result
Feature located and passed in real time
Technology Used
Hardware behind the inspection
Zebra FS20
Smart camera that processes each image to check for the required threads and dowels.
Proximity Sensor
Detects the metal component and triggers image capture — six times per rotation.
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