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Visit ibg at the Heat
Treat Show
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November 6-7 is when the Heat
Treat Show will be held in Indianapolis, IN and ibg will be
there in Booth 2024 displaying some of the many instruments
and systems developed for automotive and other suppliers. These
will be of particular interest to manufacturers of critical
automotive parts for engine, valve, powertrain, braking and
suspension systems, and others. Plus components such as bearings,
forged and cast parts. Look for us at the show. We'll be there, on
the lookout for you.
by Bill Buschur General
Manager
NDT systems business continues
to be strong
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In spite of current business
conditions in the U.S., ibg's business has continued to grow in
2001. We have added penetration into new areas of industry (for
us) this year, with projects involving aerospace and some
different automotive components. Meanwhile, the Asia business is
rebounding and Europe looks stronger than expected and also is
growing in 2001.
You'll find a number of different
applications covered in this issue, particularly shaft-related
components such as output shafts, axle shafts, drive shafts and
steering racks. Plus, there's a description of a new forged parts
test system. Also, you'll find a compilation of the videos that
are available from our ibg office that depict in motion a variety
of actual component test systems.
Finally, I want to remind you of
our show participation in the annual Heat Treat Show in
Indianapolis. We'll have some interesting tests and systems for
you to see at the two-day show, so stop by our booth (No. 2024).
In addition, we are giving a technical paper on hardness testing
of gears for transmissions. We look forward to answering any
questions regarding eddy current components testing. We're the
best source I know for answers.
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eddyliner P4 technology, a new system provides automatic 100%
testing of output shafts at four locations for hardness, case depth and
hardness runout. Installed following the induction hardening process,
the system is fed by a roller conveyor. In the system, shafts are lifted
up and clamped on the centers and test coils move automatically to each
test position. After testing, correctly-hardened parts are forwarded
to the next processes, while incorrectly-hardened parts are rejected
via a gravity chute to a locked container.
Non-destructive testing to verify correct material properties after
heat treatment is a common task for ibg systems, including verification
of correct hardness, case depth and hardness.
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pattern (as in
this application), case hardness, retained austenite, decarb, wrong
material and other properties.
Automatic 100% testing for material properties is now often a mandatory
process for component manufacturers. It often is required to assure zero
defects in parts subjected to heat treating and alloying processes.
Shaft is fed into test system (from right) by gravity roller. |
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Test coils move to four test positions (indicated
by arrows) over the shaft length. |
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This system utilizes ibg's
eddyliner® P16 to test at multiple locations over the entire
induction-hardened zone for hardness, case depth and hardness
runout, including case depth at the fillet area and case depth and
hardness runout on the spline area. Axles are loaded by hand and
clamped on centers for testing. The
test coils move automatically under PLC control to the positions
selected for testing. Easily installed change parts mean a wide
range of different axle sizes can be conveniently tested on the
system.
This system is used on an audit basis and significantly reduces
expenses-compared to destructive testing methods-while it increases
quality. The machine can 100%-inspect suspect lots, and
conceptually it is easily automated to perform 100% testing of all
axles produced. |
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Available
for presentation at your plant by an ibg representative, on request,
is an extensive library of videos showing a variety of ibg test
systems in operation. Following are examples of subjects in the
videos:
- Crack detection systems on: steering racks in
line and in work cell, piston rods and strut rods, ball studs, tie
rods, cylinder liner ID bore and faces, wheel hubs, spindles,
piston pins, rollers for bearings, planetary pins, needle bearings
and others.
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- Hardness and other material properties test
systems on: pinion pins, needle bearings, steering racks, ball
studs, ball bearings, CV joints, tripots, wheel hubs, spindles,
rollers for bearings, piston pins, axle shafts, output shafts and
others.
All are actual systems installed on factory floors
and were designed for rugged use in three-shift factory-floor
operations. |
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A semi-automatic system for testing
inductively hardened drive shafts has been devised by ibg using an
eddyliner® P16 instrument. The shafts are tested for hardness,
hardness depth and hardness runout at up
to 16 positions.
In this system, the test coil moves automatically to 16 programmable
positions and tests each one at eight frequencies according to ibg's
PMFT (Preventive Multi-Frequency Testing) protocol. Test parts are
loaded manually. Changeover to different part types is accomplished
easily using change parts stored in an integral chest of drawers.
The
system is compact and movable, allowing usage at different work stations
in the factory
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Use of this system significantly
reduces testing costs because destructive testing and evaluation is
greatly reduced. This is especially beneficial with large parts that
are expensive to cut, polish, etc. For example, the system tests a
part in 12 seconds, so sampling rates can be increased and 100%
testing can be done on suspect lots. It is simple for shop floor
personnel to operate and maintain.
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 A semi-automatic structure
test on forged parts for correct heat treatment has been developed by ibg
using eddyliner® P technology.
Included in the system are exchange parts, which provide simple, quick
changeovers for the test parts, which vary
considerably in size (from approximately 1.5" to 10" in length).
Parts are placed on a gravity chute from which they slide into test
position. Then, depending on the sorting decision of the test instrument,
each tested part is forwarded to an OK parts chute, via a sorting rocker, or
is passed on to a locked container for incorrectly hardened or wrong
material parts.
A forged part is about to enter (from right) the
test area.
Compact system has a very small footprint. |
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A system for automatic crack inspection of
hydro steering racks has been developed by ibg. Utilizing a two-channel
eddydector® and rotating scanner (eddyscan H2/25)
instrumentation, finish-ground or superfinished steering racks are tested
along their entire sealed journal area for cracks and pores.
This photo shows overall system. Parts are fed from the right. The rotating
scanner, eddyscan H2/25, is in the middle. The sorting gate is beyond
that. Test instrumentation is in a steel cabinet mounted on the steel frame.
With throughput of 200 mm/sec, the system is faster than the grinders and
runs parts at approximately 600/hr. Non-contacting crack inspection is
carried out as the racks are fed gently and precisely through the
eddyscan H2/25, which is rotating at approximately 6,000 rpm.
Synchronously driven rollers move racks through rotating
test head.
Blanking out of the toothed area and piston location is automatic by means
of an adjustable fork-type light barrier. Use of eddyscan H2/25 with
such high rotation (6,000 rpm) means that-even with 200 mm/sec,
throughput-the whole surface area is scanned for cracks with high resolution
and no skipped surface. For example, it would not be possible to rotate the
steering racks at 6,000 rpm!
closeup shows steering rack exiting from rotating
head.
Changeover from one part number to another is easily accomplished in under
10 minutes with use of exchange parts and the simple adjustment of test
parameters.
These systems replace magnetic particle inspection on the
steering racks, providing higher test resolution, much higher reliability
(no human inspection) and lower overall |
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