Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Danfoss installs 3D scanner robot that can measure components to within a micron

Danfoss Power Solutions, a supplier of mobile and industrial hydraulics as well as electric powertrain systems, has invested in an advanced 3D scanner robot for its joystick manufacturing lines in Nordborg, Denmark.

The company says the new device is boosting inspection routines by measuring component dimensions to “micron-level precision, providing customers with even higher product quality”.

Danfoss Power Solutions’ Nordborg facility manufactures thousands of joystick variants for off-highway vehicles, such as forestry machines, harvesters, cranes, tractors and more. With the new 3D scanner robot, operators can tell immediately if a joystick component is within specifications.

This capability has eliminated the need to outsource time-critical metrology requirements to a third-party coordinate measuring machine technology provider. The investment is thus saving considerable time and providing greater in-house control over the manufacturing process.

Abel Dukai, mechanical engineer in the Danfoss’ connect and controls solutions business unit in Nordborg, is leading the 3D scanner project alongside his colleague, production technician Grzegorz Leonhard.

Dukai says: “The scanner is so fast and easy to use that we can literally verify component dimensions while we manufacture, which is not possible with CMM technology.

“We now know immediately whether part dimensions are 100 percent identical to the computer-generated design files, so the 3D scanner has taken our quality testing capability to a new level.”

Dukai adds that he was not dissatisfied with the third-party metrology specialist and will continue to use the company for tasks where speed is less critical.

The innovative GOM 3D scanner robot uses narrow-band blue light to measure up to 12 million points on the component surface within a few seconds, subsequently creating a 3D image. Colleagues at Danfoss Power Solutions then compare this image to the original CAD file.

According to Leonhard, the scanner offers micron-level precision, down to 0.007 millimeters.

“We are talking extreme accuracy,” he says. “And it can even scan highly complex shapes and forms. It’s incredible technology that’s already gaining prevalence in the automotive industry. I’m glad we now have it on board, too.”

Visit the Danfoss joysticks webpage to learn more about the products benefitting from 3D scanning technology.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply