The PMD Profiler

The most important advantages at a glance:

Ensure permanently correct and complete assembly inline
Easy-to-use device: install and operate without software in just a few steps
Distance-independent measuring allows high tolerance in component placement
No shielding or external lightings needed thanks to external light immunity

Improved performance thanks to IO-Link

Evaluate detailed information via IO-Link to increase production efficiency and quality
Identify production metrics, such as scrap rate, to increase plant efficiency

Avoid mistakes and prevent them permanently for higher quality and plant availability

The PMD Profiler is predestined for error proofing applications. With the PMD Profiler, the assembly, orientation and selection as well as the manufacturing of targets can be monitored. In addition, the PMD Profiler precisely examines objects to check, for example, whether a screw protrudes that has not been fully tightened or whether a clamping system has latched. For this purpose, the PMD Profiler projects a straight laser line and thereby determines the height profile of the objects to be detected.

If the height profile of a reference object (good part) is taught in, objects can be compared with this taught-in contour. In this way, deviating components can be distinguished from good parts. This real-time quality check reduces many of the costs associated with unplanned shutdowns and scrap and increases plant uptime. In addition, causes of errors can be localized and eliminated faster.

The alternative to external ambient light sensitive camera systems and difficultly setted 1D sensors
The PMD Profiler takes on a whole new dimension of error checking compared to existing systems. Wherever camera systems are susceptible to extraneous light and thus dependent on expensive shielding and external lighting, the PMD Profiler operates independently of extraneous light. In addition, in contrast to 1D systems, it works distance-independent so that objects can be reliably detected even at variable distances. Moreover, the PMD Profiler provides additional information such as the scrap rate or a matching value between reference and target object that can easily be stored on an external device. This information can be used for process optimisation.

	Manual Check Frequent errors Expensive
	Single Point Check - 1D Distance Sensors Distance dependent (High precision positioning of the target) Difficult to align for small targets
	Line Scan sensors / cameras PMD Profiler
	Vision System Check - Vision Sensors / Smart Camera / Cameras Sensitive against ambient light Expensive machine covers needed or expensive external lighting Trained service personnel needed (Software!)

Highest user-friendliness for fast start-up without any software
The Profiler can easily be connected using a conventional M12 plug and is not dependent on any external devices, such as lighting. Reference objects can be teached via the intuitive user interface with the buttons directly on the device and without any software. An emitted auxiliary line helps the user to easily define the Region of Interest (ROI). The Region of Interest acts like a zoom onto the especially relevant product parts and increases the precision of the matching value. Even a "floating ROI" is possible in case that parts are not always in the same place. Good parts are signalled via a yellow switching LED. Further information, such as the elevation profile in an X / Z diagram is visualized via the user-friendly the software Vision Assistant. In contrast to 1D sensors, the user not only knows that a component is present, but also what part it is exactly - without having to go into the plant.

		Camera system	PMD laser sensor	PMD Profiler
Colour sorting
Height sorting
Difficult ambient light
Setup complexity
Shiny target
Variable target alignment
Guided object
Non guided object
Dynamic application
Contour detection
Precision