Sensing strategy to detect wrinkles in components

Wrinkling is a common phenomena in a range of manufacturing processes. The ability to sense the occurrence of wrinkles is useful in deep-drawn sheet metal forming to make on-line closed-loop feedback control of the binder forces feasible. This would lead to higher productivity and better-quality of deep-drawn components. The sensing of wrinkles as they occur in manufacturing applications is considered here. The sensors used are of a noncontact type, either a fiber optic displacement sensor or a laser range finder. The size constraint is particularly relevant for the on-line sensing application. The use of two displacement sensors to detect the wrinkle and estimate its peak amplitude is explained. The sensing strategy is experimentally verified