For this stamping part inspection, the customer who inquired about this solution wanted to capture images of 5 different stamping parts, each part had a different height, width, and depth. Using a machine vision system to detect any cracks or splits allowed us to minimize production errors, sustained uniformity and accuracy and ensure adherence with standards. 

Machine vision camera selection for stamping part inspection

We are going to start by selecting the best industrial camera for the stamping parts inspection system. 

We recommended out 12.3MP USB3 camera ME2P-1230-23U3M based on the details provided by the customer. We chose USB3 camera interface since the distance between the PC and the camera is shorter than 5 meters. If the distance between the PC and the camera is shorter than 4.6 meters, we always recommend our USB3 cameras to take advantage of the lower prices and the 4 times higher bandwidth compared to our GigE cameras.

Our monochrome cameras are three times more light sensitive than our color cameras. In this stamping part inspection, using a mono camera would be beneficial for acquiring the errors of any visible cracks or splits. These parts will be moving on a conveyor belt at a speed of 60 inches per second which leads us to recommend a global shutter camera. Global shutters are used for moving objects, while our rolling shutters are used for objects that are still when the picture is taken. 

The customer wasn’t sure about what resolution was needed for the camera, so we calculated. The smallest detail that needed to be detected was 2x2mm. The FOV needed was 1700x1700mm which gives us a system resolution 0.667mm/pixel. Based on 3 pixels per smallest particle, at least 2550x2550 pixels were required. Our 12.3MP camera with the Sony sensor IMX304 has 4096x3000 pixels.

Lens for Sony IMX304 sensor

The selected camera for this stamping part inspection has a Sony IMX304 sensor, this is a 1.1” sensor. To determine the best lens for this camera and the customer solution, we have used our lens calculator. To best calculate the lens, we need to know the horizontal Field of View (FOV) required and the working distance (WD). The customer needed a FOV of 1700x1700mm, since our camera sensors are rectangular, we need to increase the horizontal FOV. At 2300mm horizontal FOV and a working distance of approximately 992mm we obtain a FOV of 2322x1700mm. The recommended focal length is 6mm, so our LCM-10MP-06MM-F1.8-1.1-ND1 would be the best option for this solution. Afterwards, customers can set an ROI, region of interest, in the software of the camera to obtain the desire 1700x1700mm FOV.

Lighting for Stamping Part Inspection

Since stamping parts are made of metal, they tend to be highly reflective. Stamping parts also go through different techniques such shaping, cutting, bending, piercing, etc. which can make part of these parts have more shade or shine. Machine vision lighting in these cases is very important to capture all fine details and defects. For smaller objects, a dome light would have been our lighting of choice since it is very versatile and is ideal for checking surface defects on metals parts. 

In this stamping part inspection, since the parts that are being inspected are very large, our recommendation is to use a set of bar lights and we also recommend creating a card box set up, paint the card box white on the inside to help with lighting and reflection. 

We can also offer custom lighting if any of our other lighting solutions if suitable for the specific project. In this article "Why use industrial machine vision LED lights?" you can find in detail about every lighting solution we provide and how it can benefit your application.

Image Processing software for Stamping Part Inspection

We always suggest the customer to first find the best set up before choosing software. After we have found the best camera, lens and lighting solution for the stamping part inspection, we suggested the software Zebra Aurora Vision Studio 5. We suggested to first download the lite version which is free, that way he can try the software and see if it works well with the application. The lite version would not work with live images, but an image can be taken and saved to try the program. If the trial version appears to be suitable after extensive testing, but final performance tests or special functions still need to be tried out, we are happy to make this possible. In these cases, we can also offer a 30-day trial version of the full program.

With the Zebra Aurora, the customer was going to be able to compare the live picture with a previous set of pictures which would find any errors as well as measuring every detail to make sure it matches the required format.  

Zebra Aurora is a great option since it is made for vision engineers to create solutions without programming skills, it offers a variety of software packages depending on your specific needs. Our tech support team also offers quarterly training sessions for this software, and we are open to receiving pictures and documents to make free example programs. 

Support for stamping part inspection

We know that every project is different, the part sizes might be bigger or smaller, the inspection might be easier or more complex, the WD, FOV might be unknown or unalterable. We are here to help you find the best camera, lens, lighting and software for your own solution. Reach us out using the form below to advise on the best hardware for you and your stamping part inspection project.