PiXARGUS has added a rubber-extrusion-specific member to its ProfilControl 7 XLine family. The new ProfilControl 7 RubberFleX performs inline dimensional measurement and surface inspection with a configurable optical head: between one and eight cameras, mounted on an open sensor plate with a predefined hole pattern, positioned to match the geometry of the profile under test.

The scaling matters commercially. A simple automotive sealing profile may need only a few viewing directions; a complex elastomeric profile with fine features may need full circumferential coverage. The modular plate lets a line start with the minimum camera count and add sensors as inspection requirements grow, rather than paying for unused hardware upfront.

Illumination and optical configuration

Illumination comes from up to 700 high-performance LEDs arranged to produce a homogeneous inspection field. The ProfilControl software compensates for interfering external light during camera-data processing — a practical necessity on extrusion lines where ambient light and hot, moving stock complicate image capture.

What the system measures

On the dimensional side, ProfilControl 7 RubberFleX measures contours, distances, angles, radii, heights, widths and clamping dimensions. Surface inspection covers specks, holes, scratches, bubbles, cracks and colour deviations. Buyers can configure the system for dimensional measurement alone, surface inspection alone, or both — the combined configuration carries the PiXARGUS name DualVision.

The company's MultiArea functionality adds virtual cameras that analyse multiple zones within the inspection field simultaneously. The stated intent is process diagnosis, not just part rejection: identifying defect sources during production so that process deviations are caught before significant quantities of out-of-specification material accumulate downstream.

Software assistance

The software includes setup assistance for products with varying surface characteristics. It can, for example, recommend an appropriate roughness value during inspection setup, reducing the manual parameter tuning an operator must perform when switching between profile types. PiXARGUS frames this as shortening changeover on lines running mixed products.

Sales Manager Michael Frohn summarised the design philosophy: "ProfilControl 7 RubberFleX provides just the perfect blend of hardware and software to meet the challenges of rubber extrusion processes – not more and not less."

Target applications and standard configuration

The application scope runs from conventional automotive sealing profiles to technical rubber profiles in air conditioners, refrigerators and window systems. The standard delivery includes a 21.5-inch multi-touch monitor, a mobile support frame and an encoder for length-synchronous measurement. Optional configurations extend the system to hole inspection, flocking inspection, variable extrusion and defect density management.

The development extends PiXARGUS's established ProfilControl 7 inspection technology into an application-specific platform for rubber extrusion, pairing inline dimensional measurement and surface inspection in one configurable optical system.

What the announcement does not specify are accuracy classes, measurement resolutions, or maximum line speeds — figures an extruder will need before comparing RubberFleX against contact gauging or laser-scanning alternatives. The open question for adopters is whether the modular camera count can be matched to a documented measurement uncertainty on their own profile geometries and surface finishes, or whether that verification remains a site-qualification task.