Infrared thermography in the quality assurance of manufacturing systems

The present work will focus its attention on the aid provided by infrared thermography (IR) in the evolution of manufacturing towards the achievement of highest quality at the lowest price; which is to say: improve manufacturing processes and avoid waste of time. IR can be fruitfully exploited to monitor temperature variations in-process in temperature-dependent manufacturing processes. It is possible to control efficiency of cooling systems in-processes involving material shaping like extrusion and injection moulding. It is also possible to control the temperature rises which can affect the integrity of components and life of tools in material removal processes involving cut, mill, drill. IR is also attractive for non-destructive inspection of end products to assure quality. Experimental tests are carried out to control temperature rises during mill finish, to visualize material inhomogeneities linked to extrusion or injection moulding processes, inclusions of spurious materials during welding or bonding processes and to determine variations of adhesive thickness in metallic joints and composites. Results, presented and discussed here, prove the possibility of using IR as a tool of quality assurance of manufacturing systems.