Newton Labs User Interface screen shot
User Interface of the assembly verification system

Crash-Safety Auto Airbag Igniter Inspection

Gauging the status of a hair-thin wire in 0.5 seconds.

Microscopic view of a bridge wire
This is a microscopic view of a typical bridge wire, only as thick as a human hair and located at the bottom of the narrow steel cup.

The Challenge:

The challenge was to accurately check for the presence and integrity of a .003 in. (.08mm) thick bridge wire that is spot welded across a glass insulator at the bottom of a .125 in. (3.2mm) diameter steel cup. Difficulties included sufficiently lighting the interior of the cup while allowing the camera a proper view and to do so at a constant assembly line speed.

The Solution:

Newton engineers developed a custom, miniature on-axial illuminator using beam-splitters that enabled the camera and illumination to share the same light path. The light source emitted polarized light which reduced reflections and glare from the image. The camera and lighting system was assembled into a dark-shrouded machine that was capable of processing two lines of parts for verification at a throughput of 24 parts per minute and with a stable inspection time of approximately half a second.

Newton Labs
Newton Labs

Technology Applied:

Microscopic Assembly Verification

Location: Ogden, Utah