Ultrasound Test System for Pistons
Task and Process
The ultrasound testing system for car pistons shown here serves to examine the ring binding and the position of the cooling channel in the piston base. Depending on the test area, both the ultrasound and also the impulse-echo method are used.
The system can be operated automatically or manually. A repeat function can also be called so that tests with a negative result can be carried out again.
The precise process is as follows: The pistons are fed into the system on a conveyor and separated by a barrier. After separation, a handling unit picks up the parts and sends then to the testing station. Here, the piston is kept between a drive unit with two wheels and a counter roller. The station is tipped into the coupling medium for the test. During the test, the sensor-monitored drive ensures that the piston turns one complete rotation so that each probe examines the full scope. After the end of the process, the part is lifted from the coupling medium and placed on the dripping station with the grip handling. At this point, nonconforming parts are brought to a separate deposit area with a cross-pusher.
In the case of conforming parts, the piston cavity is also blown out. Then a swivel unit places the parts with the cavity upwards onto the transported pallet system.
Part range:
Piston diameter: 60 – 100 mm
piston length: 30 – 80 mm
bolt-hole diameter: 17 – 40 mm
weight: max. 2 kg
Tooling time:
< 20 min.
Cycle time:
< 15 sec.
