EuroWire January 2023

Technology News

Hot wire rod testing by eddy current

specific software analysis allows quality indexes to be set up – determined by existing customer formulas and evolving with production feedback, or other parameters such as the defects’ density over a given length, their amplitudes, phases, frequencies, etc. The inspection results of the current coil, and/or former ones, can be communicated to any department within the factory to ensure quick intervention in the production process. CMS designed a robust eddy current coil carrier towithstandextreme temperatures while keeping accurate results. This turnkey equipment can be directly integrated in an existing production line and network. The system is located directly after the rolling mill, before the wire gets cooled and coiled. When the hot wire approaches the inspection station, it is detected and triggers the eddy current electronics. The product passes through the test encircling coil, and the resulting signals are received by the eddy current instrument Zet@Master. The live data is transmitted to the operator screen to check the production quality. It is also passed to the supervision software

Contrôle Mesure Systèmes (CMS) designs and develops a full range of NDT (non destructive testing) equipment using eddy current and ultrasonic technologies. The company offers in-line and off-line turnkey and customised solutions for the inspection of finished and semi-finished products such as wires, tubes or bars. CMS works with manufacturers in aeronautic, automotive, oil and gas, nuclear, steel and railway industries worldwide, and has an extensive network of agents and an American subsidiary, Controle Mesure Systemes Inc. The company offers a wide range of eddy current equipment for in-line hot wire inspection in order to detect surface and subsurface defects. One such solution uses eddy currents to detect and analyse critical surface defects in hot rolling mill operations, such as inclusions, cracks, scabs, pitting, over-rolling, holes, scale, longitudinal defects, periodically recurring defects and cross-cracks. The test results are used to quickly intervene and optimise the production process. Eddy current testing can perform under the extreme conditions required by the hot rolling process: a wire temperature greater than 1,200°C. The hot-wire-rod

Eddy current testing can be carried out under extreme conditions, such as wire temperatures above 1,200°C

for further processing and signal analysis, and to control the line automation accordingly, and to the manufacturing execution system (through the supervision software) to adjust the testing settings, if necessary. For working in harsh environments, Zet@Master is manufactured in a sealed enclosure version and located in a cooled cabinet next to the production line. Once the inspection is completed, a report lists all of the detected defects and their amplitude, frequency and location. A quality rating is automatically assessed according to the defect density of each product section. Contrôle Mesure Systèmes www.cmseddyscan.com

Quality control of filaments for 3D printing PMH GmbH is a German manufacturer of individual extrusion lines. The plant in Königswinter, Germany, also manufactures complete filament lines in which filaments for the 3D printer industry are produced. To ensure the quality of the filaments, PMH equips its lines with measuring and control technology from Sikora.

Particularly in the production of high-quality filaments, such as those used for the 3D printing of medical technology, manufacturers are increasingly focusing on quality assurance. PMH’s filament lines consist of an extruder, water bath, haul-off and winder, for filaments with diameters of 1.75 or 2.85mm. The company offers measurement and control of the filament line by means of a two-axis laser measurement as standard. For this purpose, one Laser 2010 XY from Sikora is used per filament line. The gauge head, based on laser technology, precisely measures the diameter of the filaments. In combination with an Ecocontrol 600 processor system, the filament dimensions are visualised and automatically controlled. This in-line quality control prevents, for example, feeding errors and possible clogging of the 3D printer. “The demand for the use of measuring technology in the production of high-quality filaments is unbroken,” said Michael Kinnart, technical director at PMH. “All the more, we are pleased to have found a reliable partner in Sikora, who has a suitable solution for our customer needs, which can be easily integrated into our complete lines.” Sikora AG www.sikora.net PMH GmbH www.pmh-extruder.de

Filaments are thermoplastics that are assembled as wire on spools and used in the 3D printing manufacturing process.

Michael Kinnart with a filament line with integrated Sikora Laser 2010 XY diameter gauge

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January 2023