Decisive factors for the efficiency and competitiveness of a manufacturing enterprise include consistent quality and high-output production with minimal downtimes or outages. Fault-free processes and products can be guaranteed by production-related measuring and control technology. High-quality and optimally coordinated measuring technology therefore has a significant effect on value creation.
Clock-controlled measuring systems or test benches that are tailored to customer requirements are already firmly integrated in today’s production lines. This trend toward machine integration is gaining ground in diverse industries, from the automotive sector to blistering machines in medical packaging technology.
Test benches for industrial quality control and monitoring are used in all industries regardless of the particular branch and application, whether for manufacturing pharmaceutical products, the production of components for the automotive industry, in the food industry or for processing of raw materials such as sheet steel or paper.
Force transducers and entire force measuring chains from GTM are one of the core components of the overall production process and fulfil all requirements for precision, reliability and cost effectiveness. GTM force and torque transducers cover the entire measuring chain, from force sensors to strain gauge measuring amplifiers and system integration.
In general, there are two types of quality and process control: in-line and end-of-line. The particular industry is only of secondary importance:
In-line processes and testing
This type of testing is used in partially or fully automated processes or production steps (pull or push test), which can be deeply integrated in a production line, machine, plant or processes. Some examples are joining or press-fit processes. In in-line processes, force transducers are often integrated directly in the specific tools.
Depending on the application and industry, quality control can require one-hundred percent control (e.g. in stick-pack filling technology for medical products) or random samples.
For in-line solutions, machine engineers or system integrators generally need small, compact, robust and decentralized force transducers, sensors or measuring chains. A small footprint and fast, easy and efficient integration are real customer advantages here.
End-of-line test systems
These are processes in which the function and / or condition of sub-components or products are tested one hundred percent and / or in random samples. These test systems are generally integrated as fully automated test benches or test stations at the end of a production or test line. End-of-line tests are often used for larger, heavier products or components. End-of-line tests are also designed as aggregation stages, for example in the packaging industry.
Areas of application & Industry sectors
Typical applications are motor vehicle components such as combustion engines, transmissions, brakes, clutches or chassis, electrical products such as electric motors and household appliances, electronic products such as control units and mobile phones, fluidic components such as pumps and valves, or optical devices such as displays. Other applications can be found in numerous industries, such as medical technology or machine and plant engineering. Especially GTM force transducers of the DR, K, KL and UB series, with their overall performance in terms of precision, dynamics or robustness, are ideal for widespread use in high-end industrial quality and process control applications. GTM force sensors and force measuring chains are therefore one of the core components in the industrial process landscape and always deliver reliable and precise measurements as the basis for consistent high product quality and minimal downtimes.
