Quality control and geometry verification for car body sealing systems at Cooper Standard

‍Company overview

Cooper Standard is a leading global supplier in the automotive industry, specialising in the design and manufacture of sealing systems for vehicle bodies. The company is recognised for its commitment to quality and for meeting the complex geometric requirements of major automotive manufacturers.

Executive summary

The implementation of custom manual inspection instruments has delivered significant benefits for Cooper Standard, including:

• Improved quality control and geometric compliance for complex car body seals.
• Increased confidence in measurement results through devices that eliminate part deformation.
• Enhanced efficiency, enabling quality control for every seal produced.
• Compliance with customer requirements for precision and geometric accuracy.

Project objectives

Cooper Standard required a solution that would:

• Ensure quality control and correct geometry of car body sealing systems.
• Verify the compliance of manufactured seals with the CAD design geometry.
• Accommodate large, flexible parts with complex shapes.
• Provide a reliable and repeatable measurement process for 100% inspection.

The challenge

The client needed equipment capable of verifying the geometry of car body seals, which presented several challenges. The seals were large (approximately 1 m), possessed complex shapes dictated by vehicle body geometry, and had low stiffness, making them highly susceptible to buckling and deformation. Achieving the required precision under these conditions demanded a custom solution that went beyond standard measurement tools.

The solution

A set of custom manual instruments was designed and manufactured. The core of the solution involved creating fixtures that replicate the seal's environment within the car body. The instruments are built to reflect the shape of doors, side pillars, and even windows, providing complete support to the sealing element. This design eliminates the risk of deformation during inspection, allowing operators to accurately control the bending shape, cutting angles, and overall length of each seal.

To ensure ease of use and support high-volume production where every seal is controlled, the instruments were designed to be ergonomic and minimise operator effort. Furthermore, each control device is equipped with a dedicated calibration element made from wear-resistant materials, guaranteeing that the instruments maintain their accuracy of +/- 0.1 mm relative to the 3D model.

Key achievements

High-precision quality control

The devices enable the verification of complex seal geometry with an accuracy of +/- 0.1 mm.

Reliable geometry verification

The custom design, which replicates the car body environment, ensures that seals are measured accurately without deformation.

Optimised for 100% inspection

The ergonomic and efficient design allows for the quality control of every seal produced, ensuring consistent output.

Enhanced measurement repeatability

The inclusion of dedicated, wear-resistant calibration elements guarantees consistent and repeatable measurement results.