INDUSTRIES
Automotive
Challenge
Automotive suppliers supply parts to automotive manufacturers (OEMs) for assembly into final vehicle production. These parts, such as transmissions and tires, can be extremely complex and require precise specifications.
Some suppliers still rely on human inspectors. Manual inspectors are not only costly and unable to scale to production demands, but they can also fail to accurately inspect these complex automotive components, leading to escapes.
These quality defects can impact the performance, safety, and reliability of vehicles. They can be dangerous to end consumers, result in costly recalls, and cause a supplier to lose contracts with OEMs.
In attempts to prevent escapes, many automotive manufacturers adopt traditional machine vision solutions for inspection, but these solutions fail to adapt to variability in products, surfaces, and defects. As a result, manufacturers overkill parts, increasing their scrap and reducing their yield.
Automotive manufacturers need to effectively automate inspection to ensure quality and optimize manufacturing productivity.
Some suppliers still rely on human inspectors. Manual inspectors are not only costly and unable to scale to production demands, but they can also fail to accurately inspect these complex automotive components, leading to escapes.
These quality defects can impact the performance, safety, and reliability of vehicles. They can be dangerous to end consumers, result in costly recalls, and cause a supplier to lose contracts with OEMs.
In attempts to prevent escapes, many automotive manufacturers adopt traditional machine vision solutions for inspection, but these solutions fail to adapt to variability in products, surfaces, and defects. As a result, manufacturers overkill parts, increasing their scrap and reducing their yield.
Automotive manufacturers need to effectively automate inspection to ensure quality and optimize manufacturing productivity.
Introducing UnitX
UnitX provides AI vision to help manufacturers automate inspection. UnitX is currently used by 5 of the world's top automotive suppliers to detect defects across all automotive parts such as tires, safety systems, powertrains, chassis systems, and EV batteries.
Advantages
UnitX's unique advantages ultimately help automotive manufacturers ensure quality while improving yield:
Reduced cost
100% automated in-line inspection replaces need for manual inspectors
Increased throughput
High-speed imaging & AI inference speeds that match cycle times
Reduced escapes and recalls
Accurately detects defects that are highly variable and complex in shape, size and presentation
Reduced overkill
Adjustable thresholds to distinguish between unacceptable defects and defects that are within tolerances
Faster deployment
Sample-efficient AI that requires as few as 5 images to train
Increased traceability; reduced impact of recalls
All inspection data with identifiers referenceable in one central platform
Reduced cost
100% automated in-line inspection replaces need for manual inspectors
Increased throughput
High-speed imaging & AI inference speeds that match cycle times
Reduced escapes and recalls
Accurately detects defects that are highly variable and complex in shape, size and presentation
Reduced overkill
Adjustable thresholds to distinguish between unacceptable defects and defects that are within tolerances
Faster deployment
Sample-efficient AI that requires as few as 5 images to train
Increased traceability; reduced impact of recalls
All inspection data with identifiers referenceable in one central platform
Applications
UnitX automates inspection of all automotive components such as:
Powertrain
An automotive powertrain generates and transmits power to a vehicle so it can move, making the powertrain fundamental to a vehicle's performance. It's a complex system that includes several key components such as the engine, transmission, and driveshaft. Throughout the powertrain manufacturing process, dimensional checks, material inspections, and performance testing are done to ensure that each component and final assemblies meet safety and performance standards.
UnitX inspects engine, transmission, and driveshaft components and assemblies for casting and machining defects as well as compromised joints and seals to ensure the powertrain's performance, reliability, and safety and prevent costly recalls.
Powertrain
An automotive powertrain generates and transmits power to a vehicle so it can move, making the powertrain fundamental to a vehicle's performance. It's a complex system that includes several key components such as the engine, transmission, and driveshaft. Throughout the powertrain manufacturing process, dimensional checks, material inspections, and performance testing are done to ensure that each component and final assemblies meet safety and performance standards.
UnitX inspects engine, transmission, and driveshaft components and assemblies for casting and machining defects as well as compromised joints and seals to ensure the powertrain's performance, reliability, and safety and prevent costly recalls.
Exterior Body
An automobile's exterior body is the outer shell that shapes its form, functionality, and aesthetic, encompassing a variety of components such as body panels, windows and glass, and lighting.
UnitX inspects exterior body components and assemblies for dimensional measurements and defects resulting from stamping, welding, and injection molding that can impact an automobile's structural integrity, functionality, and aesthetics that can cause costly recalls.
An automobile's exterior body is the outer shell that shapes its form, functionality, and aesthetic, encompassing a variety of components such as body panels, windows and glass, and lighting.
UnitX inspects exterior body components and assemblies for dimensional measurements and defects resulting from stamping, welding, and injection molding that can impact an automobile's structural integrity, functionality, and aesthetics that can cause costly recalls.
Chassis
The chassis is the main supporting structure of a vehicle to which all other components are attached. It serves as the backbone of the vehicle and is critical for its overall strength, stability, and safety. It includes various components such as the chassis module, braking system, steering, suspension, fuel tank, and tires and wheels.
UnitX inspects individual chassis components for stamping defects and dimensional measurements, helping manufacturers avoid scrap and wasted work downstream, and for welding seam abnormalities after being welded together. UnitX chassis inspection helps manufacturers ensure chassis welding quality, overall structural integrity, and adhererance to dimensional tolerances.
UnitX inspects individual chassis components for stamping defects and dimensional measurements, helping manufacturers avoid scrap and wasted work downstream, and for welding seam abnormalities after being welded together. UnitX chassis inspection helps manufacturers ensure chassis welding quality, overall structural integrity, and adhererance to dimensional tolerances.
Interior Components
The interior components of a vehicle encompasses all the elements inside the cabin that contribute to functionality, comfort, aesthetics, and safety such as the seat, dashboard, airbag, and seat belt. Since the airbag and seat belt are designed to mitigate impact of accidents and protect occupants, they require strict quality control measurements during the manufacturing process. Each component and assembled system must comply with automotive safety regulations to ensure that the vehicle can be operated safely.
UnitX inspects interior components across their entire manufacturing process from individual parts to assembly and final installation. UnitX detects material defects and improper assembly that could compromise passenger safety and cause warranties and recalls. It also inspects component dimensions and locations to ensure they meet specified dimensions and have been properly assembled.
The interior components of a vehicle encompasses all the elements inside the cabin that contribute to functionality, comfort, aesthetics, and safety such as the seat, dashboard, airbag, and seat belt. Since the airbag and seat belt are designed to mitigate impact of accidents and protect occupants, they require strict quality control measurements during the manufacturing process. Each component and assembled system must comply with automotive safety regulations to ensure that the vehicle can be operated safely.
UnitX inspects interior components across their entire manufacturing process from individual parts to assembly and final installation. UnitX detects material defects and improper assembly that could compromise passenger safety and cause warranties and recalls. It also inspects component dimensions and locations to ensure they meet specified dimensions and have been properly assembled.
Electric Vehicles
UnitX inspects lithium ion batteries for EV manufacturers. See more details here.
UnitX also inspects EV electric motor components such as stators, rotors, bearings, and windings for defects that can hinder the motor's function and efficiency.
UnitX inspects lithium ion batteries for EV manufacturers. See more details here.
UnitX also inspects EV electric motor components such as stators, rotors, bearings, and windings for defects that can hinder the motor's function and efficiency.
Solutions
AI Only(via integration with third party vision systems)Rapid deployment of UnitX AI with existing systems. UnitX's CorteX integrates with traditional third party vision systems to provide defect detection faster and more accurately where you already have vision systems deployed
Imaging + AIBest-in-class inspection using UnitX imaging and AI. UnitX's OptiX dynamically illuminates parts while UnitX's CorteX detects variable defects across all automotive components. There are multiple versions of the OptiX imaging system to support parts of varying sizes from 0 to 2,000mm
Automotive Application Examples
To learn more about how UnitX can automate inspection for you, please contact us here