HARMS & WENDE

Inline process monitoring

Almost every mistake starts off small. Therefore, it is important to detect trends and deviations in the continuous production process […]

Inline process monitoring

Almost every mistake starts off small. Therefore, it is important to detect trends and deviations in the continuous production process in time so that it is still possible to react before limit values are exceeded.

The usual determination of point diameters or shear tensile forces by taking a random sample provides very accurate measured values if appropriate care is taken, but these are only snapshots of past conditions.

The desire to obtain a complete image of a running process, which completely records random and spontaneously occurring changes and also allows long-term trends and developments to be recognised at an early stage, is only met by continuous measurement = inline measurement.

Even very short sampling intervals with a very high manual effort and corresponding costs for personnel, equipment technology and material are in many cases not sufficient to reliably detect trends and to be able to operate the process optimally.

In order to ensure consistently high quality at reasonable costs in a continuous process and to exploit existing potential for reducing errors, seamless metrological recording is becoming increasingly important.

In the resistance welding process, the characteristic to be verified, usually the spot diameter, cannot practically be continuously verified by direct measurement on the component. To do this, every component would have to be destroyed in order to determine exact measurements. Thus, this can only be done by measuring substitute variables. This (These) substitute variable(s) must first reliably prove its/their reliability with regard to the recorded measured values of the substitute variable and the characteristics actually measured on the component, i.e. verify.

The PQSweld system from Harms & Wende QST is one such method. Depending on the respective welding process, various electrical and mechanical measured variables are continuously recorded and permanently compared and evaluated with previously determined references.

In this way, it is possible to react to changes in the process at an early stage, but also to work systematically on improving production processes.

The system supports the user right from the determination of the correct welding parameters, accompanies the production start-up, identifies potential for improvement and seamlessly monitors the ongoing production.

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