Development and commercialization of laser inspection system to detect surface flaws of machined holes

Abstract

An indispensable aspect of manufacturing is the external inspection of all product parts. For example, in the manufacturing of cars, autonomous inspection technology is required to detect minute flaws on glossy or mirror surfaces, which are easily overlooked by visual inspection. In this paper, we report on the history, significance, and future development of an innovative defect inspection system, “ANALYZER,” which has been developed and commercialized. This system utilizes AIST technology—optical diffraction by semiconductor laser—to realize accurate, autonomous inspection of inner wall surfaces of high quality machined holes of various sizes.