Laser acoustic test-Xarion has developed a new laser acoustic test method that enables optical microphones to detect frequency intervals

Xarion has developed a new laser acoustic test method for production lines. According to the press release, optical microphones can detect ultrasonic waves in the air with a frequency bandwidth ten times that of bats. Now, the new microphones have been combined with ultrasonic generation lasers, so they can detect defects in components that are not visible from the outside, such as cracks, holes or faulty connections.

Interest from the battery industry

For example, conventional systems have problems with the natural frequency of the sensor and also require direct contact with the material being measured. On the one hand, Xarion circumvents these problems by leaving out the oscillator. In a purely optical process, the sound changes the wavelength of the laser beam, which bounces back and forth between two small mirrors. This also changes the brightness of the coupling light, which is measured by mechanical vibrations without detouring. In this way, optical microphones achieve a detectable frequency interval that is said to be at least twenty times longer than any other conventional ultrasonic sensor. On the other hand, you can eliminate contact with the DUT, which gives you an advantage in terms of automation. According to the company, the contactless test method can be easily installed on the robot.

According to Chief Operating Officer Martin Wallner, the battery industry and others are showing great interest in new testing technologies. Here, for example, it is necessary to check whether the electrolyte is evenly distributed within the prismatic cell, or the quality of the laser-welded joints along the edges of the finished cell module. Good electrolyte distribution is very important for the quality and service life of finished batteries. According to Xarion, during the test, dry areas of the cell reflect sound, while areas wet with the electrolyte liquid conduct sound.

Xarion will be demonstrating its battery production testing technology at Control in Stuttgart until Friday 12 May.

Source: Laser Net