This report is written within Spotlight WP5 financed by the FFI programme within Vinnova.

Thermography is a non-destructive testing method based on measurement of the heat distribution by an infrared camera. The method is suitable for automatic inspection since it is a full filed and non-contact method.

A thermography system with an analysis tool developed by Termisk Systemteknik AB is investigated as an inspection method for spot weld. The system is able to detect spot welds, measure the diameter and separate a spot weld from a stick weld. The algorithms used in the analysis are rather simplified and the development opportunities are significant.

A fully automated NDT-cell for spot weld inspection is presented. The automation includes a six axis industrial robot and communication for handling the information flow. This comprised the identification of the inspected spot weld and the reporting to the overall system as to the operator.

A failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) of the automated NDT-cell is accomplished and the most important actions are reported

A business case for implementing a automated NDT-cell was included in the project. In this business case the most promising quality check concepts for NDT spot weld will be presented and compared with the other identified methods.