Gearbox inspects the watertight seals of its gearboxes with Omron artificial vision

Gearbox del Prat is dedicated to the manufacture of gearboxes for automobiles in the Volkswagen Group. When the company commenced the production of six-speed gearboxes in 2006, it became necessary to install a testing station in its production line, to check the liquid joint that is applied in order to seal the covers onto the gearboxes. The adhesive is dosed at the upstream station, and the quality of the joint must guarantee a watertight seal, in order to avoid the escape of oil, which would seriously damage the transmission.

In order to develop, install and implement this innovative project, Gearbox entrusted the turnkey project to Omron (Iberia and Germany), who turned to its partner in Barcelona, P3S, a specialist in Advanced Sensors and Artificial Vision, for assistance. At the station for the application of the liquid joint, a robot executes a movement on three axes using rectangular coordinates, to apply the adhesive to the gearbox for the seal that will be affixed downstream.

At the testing station, a check must be conducted to ensure that this joint satisfies the requirements demanded by Gearbox in order to guarantee the quality of its products.

• The joint must not be less than 1 mm thick.
• The joint must be completely regular and even.
• The catch and pin and must be correctly positioned in the gearbox.

In order to verify that these demands have been satisfied, the testing station employs artificial vision equipment from Omron, with two cameras and infrared lighting. If one of the requirements is not satisfied, the system issues an ERROR; if they are complied with, it displays OK. These results are displayed to the operator on a touchscreen from Omron and transmitted to the line’s central PLC by means of a programmable controller from Omron, for further information processing.

Now that the station has been in operation for over a year and the results have demonstrated a high degree of reliability, the main advantages enjoyed by Gearbox from the turnkey solution offered by Omron are the added value provided by personalized technical service, the response speed thanks to the companies’ proximity, personnel training, availability of technical documentation in Spanish, etc.

"After any equipment has been put into operation, it needs to be improved, updated, adapted and even expanded in the face of new demands. The proximity of a supplier who is able to respond quickly, flexibly and reliably is one of the most valuable aspects for clients. This, together with the excellent results obtained with this installation, has allowed Gearbox to test and approve Omron’s Artificial Vision equipment, thereby creating a competitive advantage for the organization with the aim of expanding into new areas of business with the Volkswagen group."  - Comment by Luis Arce, New Business Developer of the European Strategic Automotive Team at Omron Electronics Iberia, S.A.