Why finish is hard to inspect
Finish and contamination rejects are judgment calls. One inspector sees a stain, another sees a reflection. Rules like clean to the eye depend on who is looking and what the room light is doing. Light direction, angle and reflection all change what a person sees on the same part.
A fixed station gives the same view every time. It removes the room light and the viewing angle from the equation. That does not make the call for you, but it makes the comparison consistent. That makes the comparison the same on every shift.
How VZSOR approaches it
The station learns from photos of parts with the right finish and a clean surface. A stain, a smear or a chip adds something the good photos do not have. VZSOR flags the part and marks the area on a heatmap.
The operator looks at the part and decides. Some marks wipe off. Some mean rework. The operator can override a flag with a written reason, and the record keeps both the verdict and the reason. The operator can wipe the spot, rework the part, or release it.
Wrong finish
A part that went out bare when it should have been anodized, or the reverse, looks different from your good parts. A strong color or reflectivity change is the kind of difference the station is built to flag. A strong change in brightness or texture is the type of difference the station is built to flag.
Subtle shade differences are harder. Color and gloss depend on lighting, and the validated rig uses a monochrome camera in a fixed white light. Color checks would need to be discussed with us before any pilot. Color checks would need to be discussed with us before a pilot.
What a pilot would test
The validated part is mill-finish aluminum, tested on dents, scratches and nicks. Stains, residue and finish variation have not been validated. Anodized parts are not validated either. Treat all of these as questions, not as features. We would rather test them with you than promise them in a brochure.
A pilot would use your own parts with real examples of the contamination you see, and measure how often the station flags them and how often it flags clean parts by mistake. It would also record how often clean parts get flagged, since too many false flags slow the bench down.
How a shop sets it up
- Choose one part number and the face where contamination matters.
- Clean good parts to the standard you accept, then photograph about 60 of them.
- Run the wizard, about 30 minutes, with the light box at one fixed setting.
- Save parts with typical stains, residue or chips for the pilot test set.
Limits, stated plainly
- Stains, residue and finish checks are not yet validated.
- Anodized parts are not validated.
- The camera is monochrome in the validated rig, so color differences may not show up.
- A chip lying flat may blend in. Visible does not always mean flagged.
- VZSOR does not measure thickness, roughness or cleanliness levels.