by Farabi Nishi
Hybrid Thermography for Dashboard Quality Control: Detect Invisible Defects in Real Time
Air pockets, uneven cooling, or bonding defects are some of the invisible errors that can compromise quality in dashboard manufacturing. Detecting these subtle issues inline has always been a challenge due to complex geometry and the level of detail it involves.
The DB-Inspector is our intelligent thermography system, developed specifically to address this challenge. Thanks to the availability of both passive and active thermography modules, the DB-Inspector can be customized to fit the production line or meet customer specifications. At its core it works with the combination of the highly sensitive IRS-XTM NDT infrared camera with Selmatec’s state-of-the-art analysis software, which creates a complete, non-destructive inspection solution of dashboards directly on the production line.
Modular Series Inspection: intelligent 100% Inline inspection with no impact on cycle time
The strength of the DB-Inspector lies in its flexibility. The availability and compatibility of passive and active thermography with highly sensitive NDT IR cameras, combined with the modular DB-Inspector software, enable reliable integration into production lines for foamed dashboards.
Features include:
- High-sensitivity NDT IR cameras (IRS-XTM series)
- Passive thermography
- Active thermography
- Part positioning control
- Part identification (code reader)
- Traceability (SQL database & export functions)
- AI-based evaluation support
- Open interfaces to quality assurance systems
Passive thermography is recommended immediately after the dashboards have been demolded, while they still retain sufficient residual heat from the manufacturing process (55°C to 70°C). This allows visualization and detection of defects hidden in the foam, beneath the surface layer.
If the dashboards are too cold for a passive inspection, an active thermographic inspection is recommended. In this process, the dashboards are heated in pulses and their cooling behavior is analyzed. This test is more time-consuming than the passive test but it is the most efficient method to inspect cold dashboards, as it provides even clearer results.
In DB-Inspector systems, both methods can also be combined simultaneously if necessary, so that in series production, provided the dashboards have reached a sufficient ambient temperature, they are inspected using the cycle-time-neutral passive IR thermography method. That way, only in the event of a fault, when a dashboard has already cooled down too much, is the active IR thermography method automatically applied.
This flexible approach transforms thermography from a simple temperature measurement into a powerful, non-invasive quality control tool that inspects 100% of dashboards inline. Whether in passive monitoring mode or active fault detection mode, the DB-Inspector provides real-time notifications. In addition, the user-friendly software facilitates data visualization, management, and export to support traceability.
Ensure that quality inspection is not relegated to the end of the process, but rather integrated throughout it. Contact our experts today to integrate the DB-Inspector’s intelligent thermography into your production line.