Blogs
Robotic Weld Inspection
Automotive Robotic Weld Inspection Presence/Absence Description
Thermal Expansion On Automobile Engine
Thermal Expansion On Automobile Engine Automotive Thermal Expansion On Automobile Engine Dimensions Description For years the sole purpose of the oil pan was to act as a reservoir for the engine lubricant. Some modern engines now utilize the pan as a structural component. It is machined from a rigid steel or aluminum casting and designed to support the lower portion of the crankshaft bearings and rear main seal. This development has introduced a potential problem area that must be analyzed. As engines go through heating and cooling cycles it is [...]
Tire Tread Inspection With 1D Laser Sensor
Tire Tread Inspection With 1D Laser Sensor Automotive Tire Tread Inspection With 1D Laser Sensor Depth Description Tire manufacturers wants to satisfy their customers, and protect themselves from liabilities, manufacturers are moving to 100% tire inspection for defects and abnormalities. Defects not only cause potential safety issues but they can also introduce unwanted vibration into the vehicle suspension system. Belts can be overlapped, or not cover the complete tire surface, causing weak or bubbled areas and imbalances. The tread depth can be too shallow, leading to decreased service life. An [...]
Torque Converter
Torque Converter Automotive Torque Converter Surface Description Since minute defects in the torque converter casing wall thickness can result in unacceptable and dangerous torque converter expansion, a precision measurement system was needed to measure the impeller hub displacement and thus the torque converter axial displacement. An AC dynamometer would be required to spin the torque converter at a high rate of speed while a fast response hydraulic system is needed to pressurize the converter to pressures up to 150 psi. MTI’s MicroTrak laser sensor was selected because it offered a [...]
Door Gap
Automotive Door Gap Tolerances Description
Brake Rotors Thickness Variation
Brake Rotors Thickness Variation Automotive Brake Rotors Thickness Variation Surface Description Introduction Driving cross country or cross town, we give little thought to the operation or complexity of our vehicle braking systems. They only cross our mind when we absolutely need them; we never stop to think about the extensive design and testing that makes them such a lifesaver. Take the brake rotor for example. Under normal operating conditions it's subjected to extreme temperatures and forces, which can cause rotor distortion and potential failure. To make certain it can withstand these [...]
Wire Bonding
Wire Bonding Semiconductor Wire Bonding Level Description Introduction:  Machine automation frequently involves measuring small distances extremely accurately. Wire Bonding is one such application with some challenging requirements. A ‘normal’ wire bond consists of gold wire bonded to a substrate (PC Board) and an integrated circuit. Wire size varies between eighteen and fifty microns, with twenty-five microns being the ‘standard’; pad sizes are typically between seventy-five and one hundred microns wide. Space between two pads is generally one hundred microns. The width of the actual bond is generally 1.2 to 2.5 times [...]
GaAs Substrate Thickness Measurement
GaAs Substrate Thickness Measurement Semiconductor Gaas Substrate Thickness Measurement Thickness Description Measuring Thickness of Wafers with Different Chemistries Introduction:  Silicon wafers are ordinarily highly conductive and easy to measure with standard capacitive displacement sensors (See MTI's Proforma 300i). Measuring the thickness of GaAs wafers that have high bulk resistivity (>10k Ohm/cm) is a little more difficult because the wafers act as non-conductive insulators in a capacitive sensor's measuring field. Fortunately, MTI has a solution to this problem. Solution:  It’s possible to measure the thickness and TTV of high resistivity semiconducting [...]
Photolithography Using Capacitance Sensors
Photolithography Using Capacitance Sensors Semiconductor Photolithography Using Capacitance Sensors Positioning Description When it comes to photolithography, how accurate are our sensors? Accurate enough to measure this: ​   Photo by D. Carr and H. Craighead, Cornell The world's smallest guitar is 10 micrometers long -- about the size of a single cell -- with six strings each about 50 nanometers, or 100 atoms, wide. Made by Cornell University researchers from crystalline silicon, it demonstrates a new technology for a new generation of electromechanical devices. Even the world’s smallest guitar’s 2 [...]
Adding a Digital Panel Meter to MTI Analog Output Products
Adding a Digital Panel Meter to MTI Analog Output Products Consumer Electronics Electronics Parts Profiling Thickness Description Some MTI Products with Analog outputs, Accumeasure 9000 and Microtrak 3 laser How To Use Digital Displays with Analog Outputs MTI Microtrak 3 Lasers and some of our Accumeasure amplifiers such as the Accumeasure 9000 only have analog outputs. If you wish to add a digital display, then the Lascar Panel pilot © makes a nice cost effective (~ $110) addition - Fig 1. These Digital panel meters have both [...]