Functional principle

TubeInspect S, a non-contact measuring system, merely requires that the tube to be measured is placed in an optical measuring cell. Ten high resolution digital cameras accurately measure the tube’s geometry in a few seconds. The tube does not need to be moved. The geometry is reported in an easily understandable way, that is as sheath tolerance.

The measuring range of TubeInspect S comprises 1,100 mm x 1,100 mm x 700mm. TubeInspect S measures tubes with diameters ranging from 3.2 mm to 200 mm. Bends between 1° and 180° can also be measured easily. TubeInspect S has a newly added capability of measuring tubes with connected bends or with flexible parts. TubeInspect S is also able to measure tubes with hosesections, shaped hoses, and hoses with fixtures or mounting attachments.

Thus AICON extends the spectrum of optical measurement applications significantly. Tube measurements can be compared with a previously recorded sample part or with an imported CAD model.

Correction of bending machines

TubeInspect may be directly linked to Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) bending machines. If tube measurements indicate that adjustments need to be made to the tube manufacturing process, corrections are directly transmitted to the bending machine via the CNC program. If no automatic transfer of correctional data is possible, the determined parameters (e.g. push, rotate and bend) are entered manually into the bending program.
In either case the bending machine corrections will be made more quickly so that dimensionally correct tubes are produced with minimal waste. Machine set-up becomes predictable, and down time is drastically reduced.