Leak Detection Critical Part of Airbag Quality Control Process
June 22 2015 - 12:10PM
Business Wire
Airbag manufacturers are using sophisticated helium
leak-detection tests to help assure product quality.
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INFICON MODUL1000-based inflator test
machine. (Courtesy of LACO)
Airbag leak testing is big business. Today’s new cars and light
trucks today are equipped with up to 12 airbags. Suppliers in the
U.S. alone conduct as many as 750-million helium-based leak tests a
year on up to 300-million airbags.
Airbag production is expected to increase by eight percent or
more in each of the next two years as well. ARC Automotive,
Autoliv, Daicel, Key Safety, Takata and TRW are among the world’s
major airbag suppliers. Each of their plants may be equipped with
up to 100 helium leak-detection systems each costing $45,000 up to
$250,000 or more.
Helium leak tests are the safest and most effective available,
but considerable training and supervision is required to guarantee
process quality.
“Helium testing is like driving a high-performance sports car,”
said Thomas Parker, North American sales director for INFICON, the
leading supplier of airbag leak-detection equipment in the region.
“You need lessons and know-how to operate the equipment. Otherwise
you might as well be blindfolded and driving in reverse.”
A relatively small, publicly-traded company on the Swiss stock
exchange (SIX) under the IFCN symbol, INFICON has more than 900
employees, including 360 in the United States. Its automotive
leak-detection equipment is produced in Cologne, Germany.
Speaking today at a media briefing in the Detroit suburb of
Birmingham, Parker explained that helium is the only leak-detection
method used in the final testing of airbag systems by major
suppliers. Leaks can occur around weld locations in the airbag
housing, its ignitor or filler port.
Most airbags systems are tested twice, once during assembly and
then 12 to 72 hours later to identify possible “slow leaks” that
only might become apparent later in the process. Even the smallest
leak location could allow water to get into a system and react with
solid explosive material.
Sales of INFICON’s airbag leak-detection equipment has spiked
over the past two years as airbag manufacturers have tightened and
improved their test procedures. The company’s industry-leading
LDS3000 and MODUL1000 systems are covered by a variety of
patents.
“Using our equipment, one major supplier reduced the cycle times
required to test compressed-gas inflators by 43 percent, from 19
seconds to 10 seconds per test,” Parker noted.
All airbag inflators, regardless of type, are leak tested with
helium leak-detection equipment to ensure that the inflator will
perform as expected during the life of the product. The loss of
stored gas in the inflator could seriously affect airbag
performance during an accident. If a pyrotechnic inflator has a
leak, water vapor also could enter the inflator, react with
combustible material in the system and cause the airbag to deploy
unexpectedly.
The INFICON executive added that every type of inflator also
uses a small pyrotechnic device called an igniter, which is helium
leak tested as well.
“There is an ever-increasing demand for quick, low-cost and
highly reliable leak-detection equipment, especially when it comes
to airbag inflators and igniters,” said Parker. “Manufacturers who
have introduced automated INFICON test systems have achieved a 100
percent return on their investment within three-to-six-months based
on savings from lower maintenance costs and increased
productivity.”
Paul Chamberlain, president of LACO Technologies, a global
supplier of helium leak-detection systems for testing inflators and
igniters, reported that "LACO has manufactured many leak test
workstations in which the inflator can be loaded in the test
chamber by either an operator or robotically. These systems can
yield part-to-part test cycle rates of less than 10 seconds per
part."
INFICON is one of the world's leading developers, producers and
suppliers of instruments and devices for leak detection in air
conditioning, refrigeration and automotive manufacturing. The
company has manufacturing facilities in Europe, China and the
United States, as well as sales and service offices throughout the
world.
More information about INFICON automotive technology is
available online at www.inficonautomotive.com.
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U.S. COMPANY CONTACT:INFICONNaomi Kissel-JohnsMarketing
Communications
Manager+1.315.434.1122Naomi.KisselJohns@inficon.comorEUROPEAN
COMPANY CONTACT:INFICONSandra SeitzMarket Manager
Automotive+49.221.56788.629Sandra.Seitz@inficon.comorMEDIA
CONTACTS:AutoCom AssociatesLarry Weis or Merle
Lueckens+1.248.647.8621lweis@usautocom.com
ormlueckens@usautocom.com
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