eldec Quality Control

eldec Quality Control: Comprehensive Quality Assurance for Induction Hardening

More than ever, production planners in the automotive industry are pursuing zero-defect strategies—as much as possible considering the tremendous increase in the technical complexity of vehicles over the last few years. Consequently, requirements have become even stricter, resulting in even more sources of error in production. The frequent recalls we have seen in recent years have been evidence of this. Therefore, comprehensive quality monitoring is becoming increasingly important for many OEMs and automotive suppliers. This especially true for heat treatment processes, as they have a major influence on the stability of important parts within the automobile. With this in mind, the induction specialists at eldec are intensifying their commitment to the quality monitoring of induction hardening machines: “eldec Quality Control” is proof of that and includes an entire package of new modules designed to optimize process reliability. The components build on and complement one another, and together, they guarantee customers an extensively monitored hardening process.

The numbers keep rising: The Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, has calculated that more than 45 million vehicles were recalled in the USA in the past year alone. According to the CAM, “safety problems” are the cause. That is why over the course of two years, more than 108 million vehicles had to be inspected and repaired, at enormous costs to suppliers. While there are several causes behind this, unreliable production processes definitely play a central role. The machinery industry is therefore committed to raising quality assurance to the highest standards. “eldec Quality Control” (eQC) is an excellent example for this. The induction specialist, based in Dornstetten, Germany, has divided its package of quality assurance tools into two areas: “electrical monitoring” and “mechanical monitoring.”

These include three entirely new modules that help to assure the quality of the hardening process: tool identification by RFID chip, continuous measurement of the induct voltage, and monitoring of the quenching medium with a sensor. “Together, these and other eQC measures return a wealth of data, which is all saved and compared against various reference values. When discrepancies are detected, the machine reports the problem and under certain conditions, will stop the process,” says Andreas Endmann, Head of Technology Sales for hardening systems at eldec. “It's hard to imagine better process reliability and quality monitoring than that.”