Inclusion Detection for Steel Ring Quality Assurance with SKF

Ensuring the high standard of SKF’s product portfolio requires stringent control over the quality of materials used in production. Inclusions, or non-metallic particles in steel, present a risk to product performance, affecting durability and precision. Traditional methods of statistical quality control can be restrictive in predicting the presence of defects in raw rings before manufacturing. Instead of relying on statistical averages, assessing each piece for specific defects can lead to higher quality outcomes.  Traditional methods of statistical quality control can be restrictive in predicting the presence of defects in raw rings before manufacturing. Instead of relying on statistical averages, assessing each piece for specific defects can lead to higher quality outcomes. SKF is seeking innovative solutions for a real-time, in-line inclusion detection system during the production process. This technology must be capable of identifying defects below the surface of the steel as small as 0.04mm in width with a cycle time of 1.1 seconds, though slight flexibility in this target is acceptable if the system’s accuracy and reliability are exceptional. This would enable the quality control process of steel material to be elevated & while not forming a bottleneck in high-volume production environments, maintaining the commitment to product excellence. By improving our in-line quality assessment capabilities, SKF can maintain the highest standards of product quality, regardless of any variability in the supply chain.

The sought after solution should be able to deliver real-time assessments of steel quality with the focus on identifying inclusions in connection to the manufacturing process. The system should be capable of detecting defects below the surface as small as 0.04mm and operate with a cycle time close to 1.1 seconds. The inspection should focus primarily on black rings before the final manufacturing operations to ensure that potential issues are identified before further processing. The solution should ideally be adaptable to various types of steel, enabling consistent quality assurance across different material sources, particularly GCr15 steel.

SKF is the world’s largest bearing manufacturer, with 17,000 distributors in 130 countries. Collaborating with SKF on improving the quality control process of steel material presents an opportunity to contribute to improving the quality & efficiency of industrial manufacturing at a large scale. We want to work together and provide you with valuable learnings that enable your company further opportunities within the industry.