(AICON 3D Systems GmbH: Braunschweig, Germany) -- TI Automotive is a global supplier in the automotive sector headquartered in Warren, Michigan. As a leading manufacturer of fuel storage and fluid carrying systems for braking and powertrain applications, the company cultivates worldwide relationships with all important automakers. Today, approximately 30 million cars built every year rely on TI’s technology.

TI Automotive’s plant in Fuldabrück, Germany, specializes in manufacturing prototypes of fuel pipes. Because these pipes are made of plastic, they cannot be bent with a conventional bending machine. Instead, they are processed by thermal forming. The quality of the formed pipes is assured by Daniel Bock, who monitors the whole manufacturing process. For example, he has to make sure that the geometry of a produced prototype has the exact size according to the drawing specifications. To check the contour of a prototype, it is measured in two stages: first, directly after thermal forming, and a second time after the assembly of add-on components like flanges or brackets.

In the past, these measurements were conducted with the help of gauges and other mechanical inspection tools. “The drawback of traditional methods is that the measuring results depend very much on the operator,” says Bock. “Moreover, the reports derived from these measurements don’t comply with the current requirements in respect of verifiability. To improve the quality of the measurement results, we thought about inspecting the pipes with an articulated arm by probing predefined measuring points. However, when observing measurement service providers, we saw that the measurements done with an articulated arm were very complex and time-consuming. To be honest, I have been reluctant to accept this effort."

Hence, Bock started searching for another alternative. “Due to earlier projects, I was already familiar with the principle of optical measurement,” says Bock. “Therefore, I considered it possible to use this technology for the measurement of our pipes, too. I visited several trade shows on quality assurance to find the right solution for our requirements. In doing so, I came across AICON’s optical tube measuring system, TubeInspect. Originally this system was not made for measuring plastic pipes. However, thanks to a vivid information exchange and a clear definition of our demands, AICON was in the position to quickly upgrade TubeInspect’s software correspondingly. The system was implemented in our plant in June 2008. We can totally rely on this measuring machine.”

TubeInspect is an optical gauge for the measurement of formed tubes, pipes, and wires. To acquire a pipe’s geometry, the object to be measured is simply placed in the optical measuring cell. By capturing the tube with several high-resolution digital cameras, TubeInspect accurately measures the 3-D geometry in a few seconds. The results are reported in an easily understandable way, which allows for an unambiguous evaluation on site.

Usually, plastic pipes are a true challenge for measuring machines because the material is flexible, causing straight lines to fade to curved parts. In order to get precise measurement values for a comparison of nominal to actual data, the measuring system has to allow for the elasticity of the plastic pipes. In TubeInspect’s software, the user can now choose an elasticity value specific to the material. This value reflects the flexibility of the pipe; thus, TubeInspect’s measuring results are highly accurate.

TI particularly appreciates the enormous amount of time saved with TubeInspect. On the one hand, each prototype of a new plastic pipe can be immediately measured with the system. The fabrication of special gauges and the related waiting time until the gauge is ready for operation are a thing of the past. On the other hand, TI Automotive is now in the position to detect deviations from the nominal pipe geometry very early.

“With TubeInspect we can give our suppliers support for the production of the bending moulds at an incredibly early stage,” explains Bock. “The very first manufactured pipe is measureable without any difficulty. As a consequence, our suppliers are able to accuately manufacture the bending moulds immediately.”

TubeInspect fulfils the requirements regarding the checkability of the measurement results. The automatically generated report leaves no room for interpretation by the operator. “Our customers want to have proof of the pipe’s accuracy," says Bock. “TubeInspect outputs a coordinate table that can be controlled by everyone—including our customers. This satisfies them much more than the old reports."

For more information about TubeInspect, visit www.aicon3d.com.