height maps

Due to the increased product miniaturization, a number of new applications and market opportunities open up for mechanical micro-manufacturing. In the manufacturing process with part dimensions less than one millimeter and tolerances in the micrometer range occur so-called “size effects”. These prevent a simple scaling of processes known methods from the macro level and lead to an increased occurrence of quality deviations. In conclusion, the process capability according to ISO 21747 is affected and therefore the application of statistical process control (SPC) is more difficult. In this paper, the interaction between technical and logistical quality objectives in terms of logistical quality control are analyzed at the example of micro cold forming. Thereby, methods of statistical process control and fuzzy control are used.

Due to the increasing miniaturization in all areas, mechanical manufacturing processes of micro-components become more important. The combination of high production cycles and low manu-facturing tolerances in the micrometer range requires a comprehensive quality management, which seeks efficient processes with low quality costs. Because of the small component sizes and the difficulties associated with the handling process, the classic visual inspection retires as testing procedure. In combination with a customized micro-manufacturing surface metrology, an efficient image processing system is needed to identify surface imperfections such as cracks, dents and scratches. This paper presents different standards and applications on the basis of quality management that affect the surface inspection of micro components. By reference to a micro-thermoformed component from the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 747, the prototypical implementation of an automated image processing system is ...