New InfraStake software provides full quality assurance through process monitoring

Extol has developed a new software package that controls the InfraStake process. The InfraStake Integration Software comes free with every integration package to ensure consistency across every integration of the InfraStake technology. The new IS32 module, paired with the InfraStake Integration Software, provides full quality assurance and strong stake joints by monitoring crucial process variables and graphing them for easy interpretation.

The IS32 module uses a linear potentiometer to accurately measure the punch position throughout the process. The potentiometer ensures the part to be staked is good by verifying the integrity of each stake point prior to beginning the InfraStake cycle. It measures the height of each boss and confirms there are no short shots or broken bosses by measuring the punch’s position when it is resting on top of the unstaked boss. If the boss height is good, the punch retracts and the IR energy is turned on to begin the cycle. After the boss is formed, the linear potentiometer checks for a tight and fully-formed stake by measuring the final stake height. The InfraStake Integration Software unlocks the full potential of this sensing capability by allowing users to customize the starting boss height and final stake height targets and tolerance windows to meet the unique needs of any application.

An important question that is often asked about staking processes is their ability to measure temperature. Temperature is a critical process parameter for hot air and thermal punch staking processes but is not applicable to InfraStake. With InfraStake, you can verify that the height of the boss is acceptable and that the punch reached the appropriate staking position. If both of these requirements are met, then the boss has absorbed sufficient energy to form a tight, strong bond.

Another key process monitoring feature in the IS32 InfraStake Integration Software is graphing of boss heights and stake heights over time. The graphs allow the user to visualize these key process variables to identify trends and easily troubleshoot issues. The software also simplifies process validation by automatically calculating statistical information including the mean, standard deviation, and process capability index (Ĉ_pk).

All of these features come standard in the complimentary InfraStake Integration Software provided to integrators to ensure that each InfraStake machine has identical process monitoring capabilities regardless of who builds the machine.

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