Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2023 - 24

Enhancing digital platforms
with CT data analysis
SIMULATION | ANALYSIS SOFTWARE FEATURE
Virtual and physical quality workflow (L-R): Design part and define quality measurements; generate digital reports and simulation feedback to design, if
needed; visualize and evaluate part from PMI; use AI within simulation and scan programs to optimize parameters; CT scan sample parts for real-world
deviations. Post-design: prepare inline inspection macros and scan, analyze and evaluate. Post-production: analyze field return parts and provide design
feedback, resulting in continued improvement.
process even though they expect that it would apply to
" seventy-five percent of our work, " Stokowski added.
As a result of its quality-process improvements,
many advances and milestones have taken place for
TE Connectivity:
* All new injection-molded parts are implemented in MBD
* 100% of injection-molded parts are scanned, and
there are no more tactile measurements
* Part specifications are created in Creo to ISO-GPS
standards and converted to a 3D PDF as a neutral
document, where needed
* The integration between Creo and VGMETROLOGY
software is direct
* 75% of all product data is transported via PMI
* Only isolated rework is done due to interface
incompatibilities.
For final part inspection, the company has six scanners
TE Connectivity team includes (L-R) Patrick Bertram, principal engineer molding
simulation; Alexander Stokowski, director Engineering Transformation, holding
the first ECU project to be CT measured and digitalized; and Tabrez Ahmed Ajaz,
manager CoE GD metrology.
percent of the external tool builders use the whole integrated digital
system. Others go to scanning locations out-of-house and use the
software internally. All tool builders do material compliance checking
and basic measurements ahead of TE Connectivity conducting a full
metrology report within its Centre of Excellence (CoE).
Stokowski expects that eventually TE Connectivity's quality process
will be adapted by all suppliers, but that vision is not yet near-term as
cost and culture barriers exist for both GPS and virtual metrology.
Meanwhile, his team and the CoE will work toward a future " push button "
24 December 2023
working inline in the EMEA region for injection-molded
parts. The scanners and Volume Graphics' software look
for key dimensions and targeted areas of a part rather
than at the whole of the component. Costs and time are
factors; however, the upfront virtual design, analysis and
testing of parts so early in creation - combined with
checks during FAI - ensure that compliance has been
met and rechecked on the factory floor.
" TE Connectivity's quality tools and digital systems
are telling us a lot about our products - how to improve
them, why they behave in such a way, and how to
spot and predict variation, " Stokowski said. " Most immediately,
we are saving time and building great products
that advance other fields such as e-mobility. "
Miles Parker, founder of Parker Group, wrote this case study
and submitted it to Truck & Off-Highway Engineering.
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
BOTH IMAGES: TE CONNECTIVITY

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2023

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