Zebra Technologies Corporation , a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets, and people, announced that the Bosch Group is improving the quality of its inspection process and achieving higher production volumes using Zebra’s machine vision solutions to enhance operational visibility and quality inspections.
At the Bosch manufacturing facility in Curitiba, Brazil, the company’s primary focus is developing solutions for the diesel engine injection systems for the automotive industry. The injector nozzles are a critical engine component, working to move diesel fuel into the engine’s combustion chamber for vehicle propulsion.
“We wanted to further automate the inspection process with an enhanced vision system and improve the mark-reading and verification process as well as the traceability of the injector nozzles,” said Moises Santana, Vision System Designer, Bosch. “We now have an outstanding, agile hardware and software solution that can also handle three independent inspection and verification processes simultaneously using the same computer.”
With the new Zebra machine vision system, the Curitiba plant achieves production volumes of 7,000 parts per day and has decreased the daily percentage of false rejects to less than 5% — a significant improvement over previous iterations. The original design includes a quad-input Zebra Concord PoE frame grabber and a Zebra Indio I/O card inside an industrial PC with an Intel® i7 core running Zebra’s Aurora Design Assistant software, which controls the whole system. The system has enabled the team to reduce cost and set-up time and simplify installation.
“The level of technical support available plus the accessibility of online training was incredibly advantageous. From acquisition to analysis and processing of images, everything was seamless. The Zebra solution provides real-time visibility, helping us maintain our commitment of applying exceptional quality standards to Bosch’s products,” said Santana.
The system itself is simple to operate, with the Aurora Design Assistant graphical user interface making it easier for a machinist with no prior machine vision expertise to manage the operation. With the new vision system online, Bosch is already looking to add two more cameras to the process to inspect defects on the surface of the injector nozzle and replicate the solution to a second machine.
“The deficiencies experienced with legacy machine vision systems and the need for improved accuracy, speed, and quality are leading automotive manufacturers and their suppliers to adopt modern machine vision solutions,” said Stephan Pottel, Automotive Manufacturing Practice Lead, EMEA, Zebra Technologies. “The automotive industry is highly competitive, and those working with machine vision partners who provide the expertise, hardware, software, and services are gaining a competitive edge, which is good for business and customers alike.”
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