Mobile quality control for thermal paste in electric vehicle battery production
At a glance
- Industry:
- battery assembly in e-mobility
- Camera:
- U3-3886LE Rev.1.2, uEye LE
- Task:
- testing the degree of gap filler wetting on battery holders for electric vehicles
- Challenge:
- the distribution of the thermally conductive paste must be reproducibly tested and evaluated according to clear specifications
- Solution:
- mobile GCMB photo box with two cameras, integrated mini PC, calibration and custom evaluation
- Customer benefit:
- the solution enables efficient random checks, traceable results and systematically documented test data
When gap filler becomes visible
In electric vehicle battery assembly, components must be fitted together with a high degree of precision. Equally important is the reliable application of process-relevant materials such as gap filler or thermal interface materials. Thermal interface materials form a thermal conduction path between the battery module and the cooling system in vehicle batteries, thus supporting the dissipation of waste heat. For quality assurance, this means: the distribution of the thermally conductive paste must be tested reproducibly and evaluated according to clear specifications.
The Austrian company WESTCAM Technologies developed the GCMB, the Gapfiller Coverage Measurement Box, for a supplier of a leading German sports car manufacturer. The internally developed measuring system is used for quality control of the gap filler wetting level on battery holders for electric vehicles. The mobile photo box is used to randomly check the gap filler distribution after battery units have been integrated into the battery frame in a fully automated manner. The aim is efficient, reproducible and standard-compliant quality control that strengthens process reliability and product quality.
Solution: mobile photo box for flexible random checks
The GCMB is designed as a mobile testing unit. It can be used flexibly, operates without interfering cables during testing operation and performs the test independently via an integrated mini-PC. Calibration is part of the system and supports a repeatable test sequence directly in the manufacturing environment. WESTCAM positions such mobile test systems for complex and exceptional measurement and test tasks where standard smart camera solutions do not produce the desired result.
“With the GCMB, we have developed a mobile test solution that combines image acquisition, calibration and evaluation in a compact system. Two cameras capture the wetted area. The image data is then evaluated and evaluated according to customer specifications. This enables random testing of the degree of gap filler wetting to be carried out efficiently and reproducibly,” explains Harald Unterrainer, Managing Partner and CEO of WESTCAM Technologies GmbH.
The strength of the solution lies in the combination of mobility, integrated computing unit and customer-specific evaluation. The GCMB is not a rigid standard system, but is adapted to the respective measurement and testing task. This makes it suitable for applications where testing tasks need to be solved precisely, flexibly and close to the process.
Image processing: capture, merge, evaluate
In the test system, two USB 3 uEye LE cameras from IDS capture the surface of a battery holder for an electric vehicle wetted with thermal paste. Then the wetted area is tested according to customer specification. Image processing merges the camera images, evaluates the wetted area and evaluates the result as OK (okay) or NOK (not okay).
Among other things, the focus is on filling level, defects and the distance between the defects. The inspection result is then stored. Offline images can also be loaded and analysed. Calibration targets are available for camera calibration, while test targets support verification of system functionality.
Camera technology: compact, high resolution, easy to integrate
The application uses the IDS U3-3886LE Rev.1.2 with Sony IMX178 rolling shutter CMOS sensor. The camera offers a resolution of 6.41 MP or 3088 × 2076 pixels and combines USB3 Vision with a light-sensitive Sony STARVIS sensor with BSI technology. For the GCMB, interface, sensor, size and price are primarily relevant selection criteria.
The cameras were integrated via IDS peak. The SDK provides programming interfaces and software tools for operating and programming the cameras and supports fast, standards-compliant integration into your own applications. This makes the camera suitable for a customer-specific, mobile test system both technically and software-wise. The compact design of the IDS cameras facilitates integration into small devices and portable systems.
Customer benefit: process reliability in a mobile system
The GCMB bundles several requirements in one system: mobile testing, self-sufficient operation via integrated mini-PC, integrated calibration and adaptability to individual measurement and testing tasks. This creates a reproducible testing process for the user that combines image acquisition, evaluation, evaluation and result storage.
The solution supports quality assurance in applications where both flexibility and traceable results are required. Instead of adapting random testing to stationary testing environments, the mobile photo box brings image processing into a compact, portable design. This enables prescribed quality controls to be carried out efficiently and test results to be systematically documented.
Outlook: image processing as a building block of efficient quality assurance
With the increasing automation of industrial processes, the importance of camera-based quality assurance is also growing. Machine vision systems enable objective, reproducible inspection and provide data that can be used for the continuous optimisation of manufacturing processes. Mobile and flexible testing systems can gain importance, especially in battery production, where high quality requirements and increasing production volumes meet. They help standardise manual inspection processes, detect defects at an early stage and provide quality data directly within the production workflow.
The GCMB shows how complex inspection tasks can be reproduced by using image processing. Such approaches should help to make quality assurance processes more efficient and meet the increasing demands of modern production environments in the future.
WESTCAM Technologies GmbH
WESTCAM Technologies specialises in the automation of quality assurance tasks using its own machine vision systems. With many years of experience in industrial image processing, the company develops customised solutions for a wide range of industries. The aim is to support manufacturing companies in making testing processes more efficient, increasing process reliability and sustainably improving quality.
uEye LE
Model used: U3-3886LE Rev.1.2
For over ten years, she has been creating press releases and application reports and designing corporate topics and technical product communication with corresponding expertise. Thanks to her experience in strategic B2B communication, she formulates precise messages and delivers well-founded, technically robust content - always with a focus on authenticity and clarity.
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