APLAIR partners with ORNL to commercialize weld inspection technology, from Phys.org.
With an aim toward automotive applications, Tennessee-based APLAIR Manufacturing Systems has licensed a weld inspection technology developed by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The automotive industry relies heavily on resistance spot welding in the fabrication and assembly of steel sheet components and structures; the average car uses more than four thousand spot welds. Manufacturers typically inspect the quality of welds with a pry-check, an expensive and destructive process in which samples of welded parts are manually torn apart.
ORNL’s infrared imaging system can help automakers quickly determine whether a weld is good or bad without damaging the part. The infrared check can be performed in a few seconds, offering industry a low-cost and non-destructive alternative to monitor welds in real time.
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Photo Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory