In many automotive parts, a small defect can cause big problems. This explains why Tier 1 suppliers increasingly use machine vision to inspect parts used for steering, air bags, seat belts, brakes, electronic controls and exhaust.
Indianapolis-based Neff Group Distributors is an industrial automation company that provides custom systems for vision inspection. Recently, a Tier 1 supplier of exhaust system components asked Neff to build a system that verifies the proper assembly of butterfly valves. The supplier did not have a process in place to detect valve defects, and realized the need for such inspection when a customer reported that some parts were flawed upon delivery.