Improving Production with Efficient Testing
Uson Vector Leak-and-Flow Testing Equipment

The International Truck and Engine Corp.’s Advance Manufacturing Engineering Group decided that a new leak-testing solution was needed. The old system took too long and wasn’t accurate enough.

Leak-testing equipment demands exact attention to detail. Even very small leaks can mean the difference between product success and failure in critical applications. In applications such as crank-case leak tests--where intake, exhaust, turbo-oil drain, and turbo-oil supply ports have to be sealed manually at the beginning of the test--the process can be extremely time-consuming.

“Cycle time is a huge factor,” says Jim Bowman, senior manufacturing engineer for the Advance Manufacturing Engineering Group. “The engines are on an assembly conveyor. As each engine comes into the station you have an allocation of time to perform the work. You have ‘x’ amount of time, usually a minute or less.”

After much research, International contacted Uson LP, whose leak-tester series sounded ideal for addressing this issue. Uson recommended that International choose the Vector model leak tester because of the amount of horsepower necessary for the job.

“We primarily do mass-flow, pressure decay, vacuum decay, and pressure-rise leak testing on our diesel engines to make sure the components and assemblies don’t leak beyond our specifications,” says Bowman. The company produces
International-brand commercial trucks, midrange diesel engines, school buses, and
Workhorse-brand chassis for motor homes and step vans, and is a private-label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for the pickup truck, van, and SUV markets.

The Vector is a full-blown computer that runs Windows XP. Bowman found that Vector’s Windows XP-based tester was easy to operate, with an intuitive, menu-driven system and software developed by Uson specifically for the platform.

Timesaving features such as “infill”--which reduces volumes and allows for varying container sizes to be tested in the same chamber with minimum change-over time and expense -- PLC connectivity, and remote-start input can increase the speed of the testing process. Additionally, the latest multichannel testers, some of which can run up to 10 channels, automatically cycle through all the tests at the push of a button.

Partly a product of application specificity, the physical process of affixing the product to the leak tester is extremely important because failures here can quickly undo all other attempts at accuracy and expediency. Uson leak-detection testers include automatic clamping, sealing, and interlocking guards that perfectly match the dimension orifices of the part under test. When speed counts, quick-connect or auto-coupling pneumatic self-sealing devices can be specified.

“We have some continuous moving zones where the assembly line never stops,” Bowman says. “If it’s a station that has, say, 10 different ports to seal, then it doesn’t make sense to have an operator there; we’d never have enough time in our process allocation to do that. That’s where automated testers are a huge time saver. If we had to seal all these ports manually with an operator, it would probably take three minutes or longer to perform that test, whereas the automated leak detector performs the leak test in less than a third of that time.”

Uson leak testers can accommodate industrial components ranging from fuel injection orifices up to large intake-valve ports or bigger. Such product variations, as well as specification changes and the introduction of new components, all mandate changes in testing parameters. These accommodations save the expense of having to buy a new piece of equipment.

A modular design suits future needs especially well because users can choose only those features that may be needed for initial requirements, but later can easily and economically expand the same unit to add capabilities for more complicated applications.

“When it comes to leak testers and the processes they encompass, the finished product has to be good,” say Bowman. “I don’t care if it’s the size of your fingertip. No customer wants to end up with an engine that has a fluid leak on their garage floor.”

Uson Vector Leak-and-Flow Testing Equipment

Benefits:

• Custom-designed for specific applications
• Intuitive menu-driven program
• Online tables that offer quick calculations
• Flexibility for future upgrades

www.uson.com