This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project is working toward commercialization of cylinder bore probe inspection technology. During Phase II continued improvements and enhancements to the existing cylinder bore probe technology (in cooperation with the ERC for Reconfigurable Manufacturing at the University of Michigan) will continue. The scientific feasibility of this cylinder bore inspection technology was proven during the Phase I project; continued work on the operation of an automated inspection station with an array of probes working in parallel in a factory environment will be demonstrated during the Phase II project. Enhancing the technology may create opportunities for performing inspections at other locations on the engine block production line and for other cylindrical machined surfaces.
The broader impacts anticipated from this inspection process will be improved quality, reduced production costs and improve performance of vehicles used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is also anticipated that this technology could lead to an optimized manufacturing process that would produce engines with reduced emissions, reduced oil consumption, improved efficiency and longer lives. Optimizing surface finish may have a greater effect on diesel engines, which are more efficient than gasoline engines.
