Piezo Stage Positioning
Piezo Stage Positioning Consumer Electronics Piezo Stage Positioning Description Positioning stages using piezoelectric stack actuators (PEA) have very high resolution. However, it is difficult to achieve precise dynamic motion tracking using traditional linear controllers such as PID due to the inherent hysteresis nonlinearity of piezoelectric materials and the phase lag associated with such controllers. Capacitance Sensors are ideal for measuring the actual piezo stage position and correcting for the inherent nonlinearity through closed loop feedback. They have the stability, bandwidth and high resolution needed to do the job. Several of MTI’s [...]
Thread Checking
Automotive Thread Checking Presence/Absence Description Manual thread inspection is slow, not always reliable and tedious for the inspector. Manufacturers have struggled to come up with ways to reliably automate the process at a reasonable cost. Automated systems are available that use “screw sensors” can quickly wear or be cross threaded, requiring operator attention and a tooling change. A worn screw can provide false rejections leading to the unnecessary scrapping of parts. Capacitance solutions are cost effective alternative which are becoming increasingly popular due to their high reliability and fast measurement speed. Special cylindrical “ring [...]
Spindle Run Out
Spindle Run Out Automotive Spindle Run Out Distance Description Rotating targets frequently have an intermittent, uncertain or nonexistent ground path. This introduces unwanted noise, instability, drift and reduces accuracy of the measurement. MTI Instruments offers a unique "Push-Pull" capacitance measurement system that does not require a grounded target. It utilizes two probes, built into one body, that work together to complete the ground path. One probe pushes current into the brake rotor while the adjacent probe pulls the current out. The result is a "clean", consistent electrical sensing path. As [...]
Grinding Process
Grinding Process Automotive Grinding Process Surface Description A cylindrical grinding process finishes most wheel spindle surfaces. It is essential that this grinding process leave a surface finish that is smooth and free of defects with minimal runout. No grinder produces a perfect surface. Grinder wheel runout, improperly dressed wheels and fixture vibrations can cause chatter on the spindle surface finish. Chatter is a series of microscopic, repetitive imperfections, or waves, in the surface of the material being machined. The required production environment sensor must have small spatial resolution, high frequency [...]
Oil Film Thickness Measurement
Oil Film Thickness Measurement Marine Automotive Oil Film Thickness Challenge Oil Film Thickness Measurement for Marine Engine Applications A leading marine engine manufacturer approached MTI Instruments to design and develop a non-contact oil film thickness measurement sensor capable of accurately measuring the microscopic oil film layer between the engine cylinder wall and the piston ring. This critical measurement is vital for engine performance testing, typically conducted across a wide RPM range (400 to 6000 RPM) with piston linear speeds reaching up to 500 inches/second and various torque settings. For this application, [...]
Arbitrary Ultrasonic Generator
Arbitrary Ultrasonic Generator Customer Case Ultrasonic generation pulses must be varied to accommodate different types of ultrasonic transducers. General-purpose highly damped contact transducers are usually excited by a wideband, spike-like pulse that is provided by many common pulser/receiver units. Lightly damped transducers, used for example in high power generation, require a narrowband tone-burst excitation from a separate generator unit. Sometimes, even the same transducer will be excited differently, for instance, to study the dispersion of a material's ultrasonic attenuation or to characterize ultrasonic transducers. In order to construct a flexible ultrasonic generation unit, engineers have excited transducers with a [...]
Brake Rotors Thickness Variation
Brake Rotors Thickness Variation Automotive Brake Rotors Thickness Variation Surface Introduction: Understanding Brake Rotor Thickness and Its Variation Whether you're driving cross-country or across town, your vehicle’s brake system is constantly at work. Among its most critical components are the brake rotors, which endure extreme forces and temperatures. Over time, this stress can lead to rotor thickness variation (RTV) — a key contributor to braking issues like pedal pulsation, noise, and uneven wear. To ensure optimal safety and performance, manufacturers rigorously test for disc thickness variation, rotor warpage, and brake [...]
Pipeline Testing
Pipeline Testing Customer Case The customer wants to test pipelines for corrosion and cracks. They intend to use a small robot which they can send into the pipeline. This robot's purpose is to test the pipe by ultrasound and magnetic field for cracks, corrosion and other damage. The customer is using 2 different types of transducers, one for ultrasound and one for the magnetic field. They are sending a pulse with a magnetic field generator, capturing the received signal, rotating the transducer 1/2 degree and then sending another pulse and capturing signal again. After a complete 360 degree rotation, [...]
Door Gap
Automotive Door Gap Tolerances Description
Plasma Coating of Airplane Parts
Plasma Coating of Airplane Parts Customer Case The customer produces plasma coating for airplane parts. They need to count the number of plasma particles on these parts so that they can adjust the plasma torch to be less or more powerful in order to obtain the required thickness of plasma coating. Using a particle detector, they are able to measure temperature, speed and quantity of particles. These parameters are used as feedback to control the plasma coating process. GaGe Case Solution The customer requires a scope card that has both high-resolution and a fast sampling rate. At the time [...]