The aim was to detect core breakages just a few tenths of a millimetre in size inside injection moulding tools as quickly as possible in order to prevent complaints, unnecessarily high costs and loss of time. The metal detector Vistus RS offered a range of benefits for the customer; the sensors are much more sensitive than competing products and they also provide more in the way of statistics. These can then be used for internal quality control and to improve the production process.

The plant that was nominated to lead the way produces products on nearly 120 injection moulding machines with more than 800 injection moulding tools. Moulds (also referred to as tools) for the production of automotive connectors in particular often have very low core diameters and up to 32 cavities. The pressures and forces present within the tool can cause the cores to wear out and subsequently break. The ‘cores’ can be seen within the tool as a positive contour and create the negative within the connector into which the pins (contacts) can subsequently be clipped. These types of connectors are used for example for engine control units, speedometers, sat nav systems and any other types of electronic components within a vehicle.