Springs play a safety-critical role in industry, especially in the automotive sector. For this reason, it is particularly important that both the base material and the spring are of a particularly high quality. In a joint research project with the Association of the German Spring Industry (VDFI) and the Wismar University of Applied Sciences have used the QASS measuring system to demonstrate that quality defects can be detected during production.
When coiling springs, compressive and tensile forces are generated at various points during the process, which can lead to material failure. Cracks already present in the wire can become larger and new cracks can appear. In the past, large cracks were only recognised in downstream sample tests and then led to complete batches being discarded. QASS makes it possible to guarantee the best conditions for your production and to recognise cracks as they occur.
With the highly sensitive sensors from QASS, the process can be monitored from start to finish using structure-borne sound.The process monitoring recognises anomalies in the process that allow conclusions to be drawn about the quality of the starting material or the condition of the tool, among other things. Even the smallest microcracks can be detected when winding the wire and setting the springs.
The measuring computer Optimizer4D reports immediately if the sensors detect changes in the process or typical crack signals. This enables timely intervention in production before valuable resources are wasted.
With the QASS measurement methodology, users can not only guarantee the perfect quality of their products, but also save resources and time.