When we talk about vehicles, we are referring to a whole system of components that, mixed up together, give rise to a high sophisticated machine. In our continuous efforts to ensure that every part reachs the highest standards, we taken a significant step forward introducing a revolutionary technology for our inspection proces: the Keyence VHX-7000 Microscope.

1) Challenge: crossing the line of traditional quality control methods in the automotive industry

Our customer – a leading player in the automotive industry – manufactures components such as gears, bearings and fittings, and supplyes millions of parts per year to the worldwide most important companies. Among the components supplied, compression and extension springs manufactured by Mollificio Valli, play a key role. Despite their small size, these components have a strong impact on the performance and safety of vehicles. Therefore, careful analysis and inspection of the surfaces get essential in the production process.

Considering the large production volume and the small size of components, traditional inspection methods lead several limitations. These methods, although effective for detecting macroscopic defects, are non sufficient for detecting micrometer-sized anomalies and verifying the quality’ surface. Therefore, they did not provide the accuracy needed to be compliant with the quality standards required in the automotive industry: a gap that represented a significant problem. For this reason, the company was aimed to identify an inspection method that would overcome the limits, allowing for more accurate and reliable quality check.

2) Solution: using an innovative technology to improve quality check in the automotive industry

Mollificio Valli’s technical team, addressing this challenge, explored various technologies and identified the solution in the Keyence VHX-7000 Digital Microscope. This is a cutting-edge instrument: it offers a detailed and ultra-high-resolution visualization of component surfaces, using Shadow Effect Technology and a 4K CMOS image sensor. A distinguishing feature is the capability to perform 2D and 3D measurements with a single device, providing a whole characterization of components. In addition, the high image resolution allows the identification of micrometer-sized defects, overcoming the limitations of traditional inspection methods.

3) Results: increasing the efficiency of quality control in the automotive sector

The implementation of the Keyence VHX-7000 Digital Microscope has get remarkable results. Quality control efficiency has increased, thanks to the devide capability of detecting surface defects with an accuracy never seen before. The different display modes allow an accurate and versatile inspection on a wide range of items, significantly minimizing the possibility of evaluation errors.

Furthermore, thanks to the image acquisition and archiving process‘ simplification, document and share results with stakeholders became easier. This evolution has contributed to making quality control reports more accurate and detailed, so as to achieve the higher quality standards and strengthen customer confidence in the company’s products.

Mollificio Valli

Mollificio Valli Srl è una moderna azienda caratterizzata da una struttura agile e rispondente alle aspettative del mercato.

Guidata da un Management che riconosce il vantaggio competitivo derivante dall’unione di una costante innovazione tecnologica con quella di una formazione continua del personale impiegato.