Challenge
Building an advanced system that measures the distortion and striation levels present in a client’s window tint film.
Solution
Using light calibration technology and LabVIEW software built into a compact housing to design a turnkey solution for automating the test, measurement, and distortion of our client’s window tint film rating.
The Story
For over 50 years, a San Diego-based window tint company has been providing building tenants around the world protection from the sun's heat and harmful UV rays. Amongst this company's many services, they primarily manufacture their window tint films.
One of our client’s largest challenges when manufacturing window film was verifying the distortion or striations levels (lines going in the direction of the assembly machine) present. Traditionally, film segments would be randomly selected off the manufacturing line and inspected by an operator for quality control. This presented inconsistencies, as the rating of distortion levels, was done subjectively and could be rated differently between operators.
Bench-top Distortion Measurement System (B-DMS600) which interfaces with a LabVIEW user interface.
The Cyth Process
The client approached us in search of a better-quality control system and presented us with the specifications their films had to meet for different applications, from cars to business windows. Our engineering team began by designing a cartridge clamp contained inside a compact housing into which the operator loads film samples. Inside the housing is a camera that scans the surface of the film as it is illuminated by high-power LEDs. Our team, using LabVIEW, designed software that gives a measurement rating of the film’s quality. A good quality film is dictated as having as little grain to the finish as possible so that transparency is not distorted to the film’s viewer. With this in mind, our team calibrated the system to not only match their current rating system but also calibrated it to have standardized repeatable measurements. Within a few hundred collaborated samples, the B-DMS600 was able to consistently rate the film off of the client’s assembly line and give precise numerical pass vs. fail values.
Order of Operations
An operator runs a calibration of the camera’s field of view.
An operator withdraws the cartridge clamp holding slot and inserts a film sample.
Once the cartridge clamp is inserted the operator runs measurement 1.
The operator rotates the sample holding slot 90 degrees and repeats measurements 2 through 4.
Once 4 measurements are taken the LabVIEW algorithm gives an average score of the film sample’s distortion.
Based on the sample’s score compared to the customer’s acceptance standards, the film is passed or discarded.
Delivering the Outcome
Our turnkey solution for automated testing, the Bench-top Distortion Measurement System (B-DMS600), is helping standardize our client’s quality control process. Now able to rate their window tint film with better consistency the client has seen an error reduction in their rating process ensuring they are producing and selling a higher-quality product. This has prompted the client to buy multiple units of the system that are now located across multiple assembly lines all providing the same consistency in measurement and rating.