Laser inspection of rubber profiles

Abstract

In the rubber industry, especially in the tire branch, inspection of shape and dimensions of freshly extruded rubber profiles which are components of a final product is an important problem. Accuracy of shape and dimensions of these profiles largely defines the quality of final product. Reviewed in this paper are existing solutions and inspection technologies which are in use for this type of problem. Proposed in this paper is a novel solution for the inspection of shape and dimensions which performs on a par with existing methods, while providing simplicity and cost effective design. The proposed solution employs a two-dimensional movement of a simple laser beam, which measures the distance rather than the laser plane whose reflected traces are analyzed as an image.