Olympus products have many applications within the automotive industry, especially in areas such as research and development, manufacturing, and customer service. Olympus equipment provides solutions by allowing gaging and internal inspection of engine castings, cylinder bores, gearboxes, rubber tires and hoses, body shells and finished vehicles, from state-of-the-art racing cars to heavy earth moving equipment.
Ultrasonic Testing
Ultrasonic applications in the automotive industry are diverse, and include thickness measurement of wall thickness in cast engine blocks and cylinder bores, nodularity testing in crankshafts, steering arms, and other iron castings, gas barrier layer measurement in multilayer fuel tanks, as well as thickness of sheet metal (including reduction rate at bends), molded plastic parts, and rubber over belting in tires. All measurements are quick, reliable, and performed from one side of the test
piece. Ultrasonic flaw detectors are commonly used for spot weld testing as well as inspection for porosity in engine blocks, crankshafts, and other castings.
Eddy Current Testing
Eddy current applications that have been developed for the automotive industry include the inspection of piston crowns, turbo discs and friction welded valves. Potential applications range from using eddy current arrays to detect cracking in pressings and components to using eddy currents to measure paint thickness.
Remote Visual Inspection
It is possible to investigate a variety of problems without teardown using remote visual inspection, including checking engine internal component condition for carbon deposits and wear, pinpointing sources of unwanted noise, identifying corrosion and confirming component failure. Routine quality control inspections at the production stage are also frequently undertaken using remote visual inspection equipment - fuel injector nozzles, cast cylinder heads and turbocharger components can all be
easily inspected using rigid or flexible instruments.
High Speed Video
A wide range of applications for high speed video exist within the automotive industry. Vehicle safety impact testing, airbag deployment and seatbelt mechanisms are all commonly recorded using high speed video equipment, then played-back at a slower speed to allow for detailed analysis to be undertaken. When high speed video is used in conjunction with remote visual inspection equipment, such as a rigid borescope or flexible fiberscope, high speed recordings can be taken inside intricate
structures such as gearboxes and suspension components.