Application note: Spot welding monitoring using the

MATRIX 1024 CORE-S infrared sensor

The spot welding process description and monitoring
Resistance spot welding (RSW) emerged in the 1950s, and is nowadays the predominant
assembly technique in the automotive industry. The vehicle components (body in white, cradle,
doors, ...) are made of thin metal sheets that are connected with spot-welded joints (or simply
spot welds). To create a spot weld, two or more metal sheets are pressed together by electrodes,
and an electric current is passed through. The resistance of the metal generates heat, and the
sheets are welded together by means of local metal fusion: a spot weld has been created. No
welding material is added in this process. Three regions are identified in a spot weld: a weld
nugget with cylindrical shape, a heat-affected zone (HAZ) and the base material sheets.
Despite intensive work over the last 40 years, there has been little advancement in sensors
systems for on line monitoring of the quality of spot welds. Most existing systems are based upon
current, voltage and welding force. However, the temperatures reached during the majority of
welding processes leads to the the infrared sensing as a powerful tool, and to the MWIR band
in particular as the most useful spectral band for monitoring this type of processes. In addition,
a high-speed monitoring is desirable to characterize the dynamics of the welding process. The
MATRIX 1024 CORE-S module offered by New Infrared Technologies not only provides MWIR
sensitivity, but also fast speed of response and high frame-rates due to the quantum nature of
its infrared imaging detector, all to prices never seen before for a MWIR images thanks to the
uncooled performance at room temperature.
Spot welding equipment

The MATRIX 1024 CORE-S module

The module used for the data acquisition is a plug-and-play MATRIX 1024 CORE-S
module, based on the MATRIX 1024 FPA, the only MWIR imaging FPA with uncooled
performance from the market. These are some of its characteristics:
* FPA number of pixels: 1024 (32x32)
* Detection band: MWIR (1-5 microns; peak WL @ 3.7 microns)
* Integration time (us): Configurable, range 2-100 us
* Frame rate (max): 100 frames per second
* System communications interface: USB 2.0 full speed
* Data format: Raw data, 14 bits
* Module dimensions (mm): 57x40x40
* Weight (grams): < 60 g
* Electrical interface: USB (5 VDC, 0.2 A)

The MATRIX 1024 CORE-S module

Experimental set-up
The photo on the right shows the experimental set-up used during the capture
of the data shown in this application note. In order to facilitate a comparative
study between different welding parameters, all images were recorded using
an integration time of 5 microseconds and frame rate of 80 Hz. The optics are a
standard silicon lens with a focal length of 24 mm, F# 1.2 and FoV 7.6 x 7.6. The
samples under observation are anodized steel plates. The MATRIX 1024 CORE-S
module can be seen on the right side.

The experimental set-up. The CORE-S module can be seen on the right side.

New Infrared Technologies - www.niteurope.com - Phone: +34916324363 - info@niteurope.com

Experimental results

Low current (weak welding)

Appropiate current (correct welding)

2D temperature map

Comments
MATRIX 1024 CORE-S provides 32x32 images of
HAZ @ 80 fps. The images show a clear difference
in IR signal according to the differences of
temperatures reached at HAZ.
IR signal intensity provides in a straightforward way
the weld nugget dimension.

3D temperature profile
MATRIX 1024 CORE-S provides 3D temperature
profiles with a resolution of 32x32 elements. The
visualization helps to detect in a easy way local
defects inside HAZ.
This type of representation can be very useful for
detection of defects and/or fatigue in the welding
electrodes.
Dynamics
MATRIX 1024 CORE-S provides IR signal vs time
curves per each pixel. In the figure the red curve
corresponds to central pixel of a good weld and blue
curve corresponds the same pixel but in the case of
a weak weld (low current).
IR signal dynamics would allow to classify in a
easy way the quality of a weld taking in account
parameters such as increase / decrease slopes ,
duration, etc.
An undesired effect when welding at high currents
is splashing. This causes several effects in the
production line such as defects and damages in the
pieces and safety issues.
Splashing can be detected and monitored in a easy
way using fast frame rate IR imagers.

Conclusions
* The MATRIX 1024 CORE-S module by NIT is an outstanding tool for
monitoring spot welding industrial processes in real time.
* It is the first low cost (few thousand euros) uncooled device in the market
able to provide MWIR images @ high frame rates.
* A major breakthrough in weld inspection real time monitoring. For the first
time there is available a low cost device which can provide images with all
type of important information.
* NIT brings to the market the possibility to control events with infrared image
detectors instead of infrared single point detectors, at the same price.
* NIT systems can work at different acquisition speeds.

New Infrared Technologies

Makes uncooled IR imaging fast and affordable!

If you have any question or you would like to know more about our products and their applications, please visit www.niteurope.com or contact us at info@niteurope.com

New Infrared Technologies - www.niteurope.com - Phone: +34916324363 - info@niteurope.com