Spot welding is one of the most frequently used techniques for bonding metal plates, for example, in an automotive chassis, between 3000 and 4000 spot welds can be found. Using this technique it is possible to obtain at a low cost, easily automated versatile welds with high quality and speed of operation. However, for such joints the inspection and quality control is more problematic than for other techniques. In fact, in the production process, welding parameters are set through "test/error" systems. The cost associated with this type of inspection is high, is an extremely laborious method, produces a significant amount of waste, and is unreliable because the problem is identified after a number of components have already been manufactured, which must be rejected. In this paper an inspection system in order to determine the goodness of spot welds, minimizing human intervention in the evaluation of results is presented. The system allows an innovative coupling and a new signal processing technology, which improves the inspection reliability and allows for an automated process for online use in the production system.
展开▼
