Automated Silicon Nitride Bearing Ball Inspection Station.

Contract Number DAAH0l-94-C-R285, Quatro Corporation has developed a fully-functional, automated silicon nitride Bearing Ball Inspection Station which utilizes Resonant Inspection Resonant Inspection to determine if the balls are flawed or acceptable. The Bearing Ball Inspection Station was demonstrated at the Norton Advanced Ceramics facility in East Granby, Connecticut in October of 1995. The station was successful in finding flaws in several sizes of silicon nitride bearing balls, although more work remains to be done as regards optimization of the system to avoid false rejects. The report describes the background of Resonant Inspection testing Section 1, the automated Bearing Ball Inspection Station Section 2, results of Resonant Inspection testing with the station Section 3, and conclusions and recommendations Section 4. jg p2