Auto Parts Asia — February 2018

62 | AutoPartsAsia | FEBRUARY 2018

P

remium vehicle manufacturers

demand 100 percent control

of the complete wheels

to ensure requisite safety

margins, excellent drive characteristics

and low fuel consumption. The

“quality package” in a complete

wheel assembly line includes high-

tech equipment, such as uniformity

measurement and bead seat

optimizing machines. The requirement

for rim run-out testing is becoming

more and more evident.

inmess started in the nineties its

intense development efforts with

many well-known OEMs. Laboratory

testing with tyre bead contact

pressure measuring, rolling resistance

measuring and endurance testing

machines were installed globally.

In 2003, inmess supplied the first

uniformity measuring machine

for full production requirement of

complete wheels to Volkswagen in

Germany. More machines followed in

combination with the unique inmess

bead seat optimizer to other leading

OEMs.

Grading of the radial and lateral

force variations in a rolling tyre, its

ply steer and conicity,and the radial

and lateral run-out are prerequisites

for substantial statements about

the quality level of a complete

wheel production site. Geometrical

measuring is an important additional

feature to a uniformity measurement

machine. The geometrical inspection

of a tyre is becoming a more important

test, therefore the run-out analysis is

being increasingly recommended by

most of the OEMs. Radial and lateral

run-out are the geometric variations

in the tyre tread and sidewalls

with respect to the nominal values

considered in the quality control.

inmess has gained a deep knowledge

in the measurement process of

uniformity through the last years

with complete wheel assemblies

and is now considered as one of the

world ́s leading suppliers of uniformity

machines.

In 2014, leading OEMs announced

the requirement to run-out test 100

percent rims from their complete

wheel suppliers. inmess recognized

the need of the market for an

automatic measuring machine that

ensures the 100 percent quality

control of the rim in a wheel assembly

line. A brand new run-out tester was

launched into the market by using

laser technology instead of the

measuring rollers. Five machines have

been installed already by leading

OEMs by the end of 2017 and four

new installations are to follow this year.

The use of laser triangulations not only

provides the conventional application

for measuring the run-out error to

set up the matching point, but also

supplies much more data to give a

full 3D model of the rim. A complete

comparison between the 3D model

and the measured model is made

to conduct a full quality inspection.

This method of analysis is a fast

and transparent solution for locating

problems, particularly for investigation

of complaints being submitted to the

rim manufacturer.

Uniformity measurement in production

lines is a difficult subject regarding

compactness, robustness, cycle

time and reliability. inmess provides

compact machine concepts to meet

production demands in terms of space

and cycle time.

Only with an optimal seat of the

tyre bead on the rim can a stable

uniformity measurement be

guaranteed. The inmess bead seat

optimizer (BSO) is designed to run the

wheel under simulated field conditions

and to optimize the fit of a tyre on a

new mounted wheel assembly. Only a

long series of complex measurements

can ascertain the optimal fit of a tyre

on the rim and check if there are air

inclusions between the tyre-bead and

rim. Accordingly, it is recommended to

optimize the tyre’s fit on every wheel.

The optimal fit minimizes and even

precludes subsequent complaints

(due to uniformity imbalance) on the

grounds of a tyre shifting on the new

rim during the first acceleration. The

inmess BSO machine was developed

and patented in cooperation with

Audi in Germany. Now the machine

is approved for supply to customers

globally.

With the continuous development

of new products, inmess plans to

launch their new high speed uniformity

measuring machine for complete

wheels by the end of 2018. It applies

here that all the knowledge which has

been gained through experience and

previous developments helped inmess

attain another success.

(NB: This article is contributed by

inmess GmbH)

ADVERTORIAL

Uniformity and Bead Seat Optimizer

Run-Out-Tester

inmess Testing Equipment

Ensures Perfect Interaction

Between Vehicle And Tyres