mircrometer gap detection system

[yw]

Hello fellow vision experts,

We make tiny coax about 5 mil in diameter (like human hair, 1 mil is 25 micron). The serving process is to wrap few tiny wires in one direction onto a dielectric wire to form the shield layer. However, as serving wire tensions are not the same, sometimes, there are gaps or windows on the shield layer. We are looking for a vision system or any other sensing device, which is able to detect the gaps or windows. The gap could be 1 mil wide or even smaller.

Attached are a few magnified product photos, the windows are the black strip, the color layer is Mylar, ignore that layer. We will mount the detecting system before the Mylar layer.

Please let me know if you know a system that can do this kind of detection.

Thanks,

Kimberly

[Robert_Eastlund]

Dear Kimberly,

What is the minimum gap size that needs to be detected?

-Robert

[yw]

The gap could be 1 mil or smaller, we do not know at this point. How small will the device be able to detect?

[Vivek_N]

Hello,

It looks like you would be detecting the gap/window based on color (pixel value). If you are trying to set up an inspection (check if a wire passes or fails), I would definitely recommend the Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (VBAI) software (http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11700). This is a standalone software with a simple user interface that comes with image processing capabilities that should be able to perform your inspection. The detectable size of the window would be dependent on the resolution of the camera, as the software will be looking for a color pixel by pixel. For example, when looking for black only those pixels that are fully black will be detected.

If you would like to deploy your VBAI application onto a camera, you could use the smart camera (http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/204078) to do so. This, again, is ideally suited for vision test systems where inspection tests need to be conducted on several objects.

I hope this helps.

[yw]

Vivek,

Thanks for your reply. I have vision software. I need to understand more about the vision hardware system for our specific application. The wire size is 5 mil total, the windows or gaps are very small, can the vision system be able to get good images to process them? The line speed is 400 feet/hour.

I would like to discuss with you through the phone. You can contact me at 503-673-4681.

Thanks again for your advice.

Kimberly

[Vivek_N]

Hello Kimberly,

If you would like to get an Applications Engineer to speak to you on this matter, you can open a new service request at http://www.ni.com/ask. You could also call in at 1-866-275-6964 to do so.

I hope this helps!