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Automation of quality control systems
What is it about?
EOL (end-of-line) testers are advanced devices typically used at the final stage of production to verify whether finished products meet specified quality standards and technical specifications. Their primary function is to conduct comprehensive tests, such as visual, electrical, mechanical, load, vibration, and safety tests. This enables manufacturers to detect and remove defective units before they reach the market. EOL testing stations are widely used across various industries, from automotive to electronics, and are crucial in the production process, allowing for precise elimination of non-compliant products, which in the case of electronics, ensures user safety and significantly reduces the number of complaints. Additionally, testing stations can be equipped with peripheral accessories, such as a labeling machine that prints technical parameters and product information, thereby streamlining the process of identification and quality management throughout the supply chain.
What can you gain?
Multifunctional inspection stations offer numerous benefits that streamline the production process and improve product quality. First and foremost, quality control is conducted quickly and efficiently, allowing each unit to be inspected without slowing down production. This enables manufacturers to eliminate the risk of financial losses associated with recalling entire product series and avoids defects, which can be dangerous for end user, especially in the case of electronics. The reduction in the number of complaints lowers warranty service costs and enhances customer satisfaction. The reliability of products also strengthens the brand’s market position. EOL testers can be equipped with additional functions, such as durability testing or printing technical parameters, which are important for logistics and storage. Furthermore, by operating around the clock, they eliminate staffing issues, such as those related to night shifts.
Multifunctional inspection station
Visual inspection
It involves the automatic inspection of the product’s external appearance and physical features using high-resolution cameras and vision systems. This allows for the detection of surface defects, checking compliance with design specifications, verifying labels, and assessing the quality of welds. Automated image analysis and reporting ensure the quick identification of defects, maintaining high product quality, and minimizing the number of complaints.
Functional inspection
It is the verification of compliance with technical specifications and user requirements. This process includes testing key product functions, such as the performance of mechanisms, the correct operation of electronics, responses to commands, and efficiency under various operating conditions. Robotic quality control stations simulate real-world usage conditions, monitor operational parameters, and analyze data to detect any deviations from the standard.
Electrical inspection
Precise verification of the product’s electrical parameters before it leaves the production line. This includes a series of tests, such as discharging and charging batteries, reading temperatures, and measuring the voltage of individual components. Functional tests may also involve checking the operation of the ON/OFF button, the charge indicator, or lights signaling potential errors.
Leakage inspection
It enables precise verification of whether structural elements, such as cooling systems, valves, fittings, and other similar components, are free from leaks. The EOL tester uses specialized measurement methods to check if the connections are airtight and meet the requirements for durability and safety.
Force and torque inspection
It involves precise testing of various elements, such as clamping mechanisms, screws, hinges, and other similar components that require appropriate pressure or torque for proper functioning. The quality control station also ensures that the forces and torques comply with specified standards and technical specifications.
Consultation
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Automated quality control
What is the cost?
The price of a testing station depends on various factors, such as the number of functionalities, the systems used, and the components included. We create custom workstation designs tailored to the client’s requirements, with the ability to modify testers and adapt them to existing infrastructure. The basic version typically includes the workstation structure, safety guards, access doors, a complete control and pneumatic system, a PLC controller, a PC with software, work visualization, monitors, lighting, and safety systems. Additional functionalities, such as a labeling machine, are priced individually. Investment in a robotic testing station pays off quickly, as it allows for precise inspection of each produced unit, significantly reducing the number of recalled series and lowering costs associated with complaints and warranties. As a result, the total cost of the tester is optimized in a short time, bringing real savings and improving production quality.
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FAQ – frequently asked questions
You can conduct electrical, functional, visual, pressure, leakage, and acoustic tests. The following parameters can be controlled: button tests, mechanism tests, diode tests, lighting tests, backlight tests, print tests, pressure measurement, leakage measurement, dimension measurement, reading of 1D and 2D codes, visual inspection, weight measurement, state register reading, noise level tests, force characteristics, and durability tests.
Vision systems for quality control utilize advanced technologies, including:
- Cameras: High-resolution industrial cameras capable of capturing images with great precision.
- LED Lighting: Provides uniform and controlled illumination of objects, eliminating shadows and reflections, which improves the quality of the captured image.
- Image Processing Algorithms: Advanced software for image analysis that can detect defects, measure dimensions, and analyze textures.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Used for pattern recognition, defect classification, and machine learning, enabling continuous improvement of control processes.
- 3D Sensors: Employ three-dimensional technology for more accurate analysis of product shapes and surfaces.
- Data Analysis Software: Integration with ERP and MES systems, allowing real-time data collection and analysis, supporting production decisions.
The integration of these technologies ensures high precision, speed, and reliability in quality control processes.
EOL systems can test voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, and other electrical parameters of components.
Yes, EOL systems are designed to operate in various production environments. They are adaptable for use in clean laboratory rooms where high standards of cleanliness and precision are required, as well as in more challenging environments such as dusty production floors. By utilizing appropriate materials and technologies, these systems are resistant to different environmental conditions, including fluctuating temperatures, humidity, dust, and vibrations. Additionally, they can be configured to meet the specific requirements of various industries, such as automotive, electronics, food processing, and many others. Thanks to their flexibility and scalability, EOL systems can be tailored to the specific needs of any production environment, ensuring reliable quality control regardless of working conditions.
Vision systems are widely used across various industrial sectors due to their versatility and precision. Here are some examples of their applications:
- Dimensional Control: Vision systems measure the exact dimensions of components, ensuring compliance with design requirements and quality standards.
- Surface Defect Detection: Identifying defects such as scratches, cracks, dents, stains, and other irregularities on product surfaces.
- Assembly Verification: Checking the correctness of assembly, including the presence, orientation, and position of parts, ensuring products are assembled correctly.
- Code Identification: Reading and verifying barcodes, QR codes, and other identification codes on products and packaging.
- Label and Print Inspection: Quality control of prints and labels, ensuring their legibility and correct placement.
- Production Process Monitoring: Real-time monitoring of production, detecting anomalies, and preventing potential issues before they escalate.
- Automatic Object Recognition: Recognizing and classifying objects on production lines, facilitating sorting and packaging of products.
- Color and Texture Control: Analyzing the colors and textures of products to ensure uniformity and aesthetic quality.
These applications of vision systems significantly enhance the efficiency, precision, and reliability of production processes, minimizing the risk of errors and ensuring high-quality final products.
EOL systems can be integrated with ERP, MES, and other production management systems to facilitate data exchange and optimize processes.
Vision systems are highly effective in detecting various production issues. They can identify surface defects such as scratches, cracks, stains, or dents that may reduce the quality of the final product. Additionally, these systems detect improper assembly, such as components placed in the wrong orientation or location. They can also identify missing components, which is crucial for ensuring the full functionality of products. Finally, vision systems are capable of precisely measuring component dimensions and detecting dimensional discrepancies, ensuring compliance with design requirements and quality standards. With these capabilities, vision systems significantly enhance the reliability and quality of production processes.
Limitations may include difficulties in detecting defects under challenging lighting conditions or on surfaces with complex textures. Contact us if you want to learn whether an automated quality tester is the right solution for your needs.
Yes, quality control systems can be integrated with industrial robots, enabling full automation of the production process. This integration allows industrial robots to perform precise quality inspections in real-time and take actions based on the results of these inspections. At the end of the production line, automated intralogistics systems, such as packing robots, can automatically package inspected and approved products. Additionally, automated palletizing systems can stack the packaged products on pallets, enhancing the efficiency and flow of logistical processes while minimizing the risk of errors and damage. The integration of these systems enables more efficient and automated production, from quality control to final packaging and preparation for shipping.
Yes, EOL systems can be integrated with packaging, labeling, and other end-of-line operations. This integration enables the automation of the entire process, from final product testing to its preparation for shipment. As a result, efficiency is increased, errors are reduced, and each product is thoroughly tested and properly labeled before leaving the production line. These systems can work in conjunction with various devices, such as packaging machines, label printers, and sorting systems.
EOL systems can perform comprehensive quality control of batteries and accumulators, including:
- Capacity, Voltage, and Internal Resistance Testing: Assessing the performance and durability of batteries.
- Charge and Discharge Cycle Simulations: Evaluating battery behavior under real-world conditions.
- Visual Inspection: Detecting mechanical damage and assessing the external condition of batteries.
- Functional Testing: Checking the operation of the on/off button, charge level indicators, and other functional signals to ensure the product is fully operational before leaving the production line.
Example projects
Conducted tests:
- FUNCTIONAL
- ELECTRICAL
- VISUAL
The station is equipped with special docking stations where, once the operator places the battery, it is automatically recognized. Based on the detected battery model, all parameters for the electrical test are automatically selected, and functional tests are carried out. After successfully passing all tests, the robot moves the battery to the marking station, where product information and serial numbers are applied. Before the operator retrieves the battery from the station, a scanner reads and verifies the correctness of the QR code. The EOL testing station serves as a final check to ensure the proper functioning of the battery in the last stage of production. For this purpose, electrical tests are conducted, including:
- Discharging and charging the battery
- Temperature reading
- Voltage reading of individual cells
- Verification of the battery’s charge level for storage or transport to the customer
- Functional tests, such as the operation of the battery’s ON/OFF button
- 4-LED battery charge level indicator
- Indicators for “error” and battery overheating
- Testing side buttons that prevent the battery from falling out of the device
Conducted tests
- ELECTRICAL
- VISUAL
The station is used to verify the proper functioning of batteries—batteries are placed in specially designed docking stations for this purpose.
During the test, the following are checked:
- Discharge and charge currents of the battery, along with the related safety mechanisms.
- Additionally, using rotary-linear actuators, the ON/OFF button is pressed to check its proper operation.
- A camera positioned above the docking station examines the correct illumination of the LEDs indicating the battery’s charge level.
The station is used to verify the proper functioning of partially assembled batteries—batteries are placed in a specially designed docking station for this purpose.
During the test, the discharge and charge currents of the battery, as well as the related safety mechanisms, are checked before further assembly.
Due to the use of a universal connector, the station is multifunctional and supports four different types of batteries. It performs functions such as verifying the proper operation of batteries. The batteries are transported using a gravity roller conveyor equipped with guides (due to the heavy weight, the batteries are placed directly on the conveyor). This solution ensures that placing the batteries is ergonomic and safe for both operators and the test object. Each battery has an individual connector.
During the test, the discharge and charge currents of the battery, as well as the related safety mechanisms, are checked. An additional feature that can be added to the station is safety curtains. This option can be used as an alternative to plexiglass protection. Implementing safety curtains facilitates operator access.
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