Dimensional inspection of electric vehicle charging plugs and connectors

Modern electric vehicles rely on the availability of fast and efficient charge points at the owners’ home and while out on the road. Building up charging infrastructure is a priority as governments and the industry look to drive increased adoption of electric vehicles, so ensuring charging technology can be produced in a cost effective way is essential. 

Charging stations contain a number of very diverse assemblies, ranging from simple stamped and bent metal parts to current-carrying metallic components in the interior of charging plugs, through to control units with many plastic parts and connecting elements. For the charging station manufacturer, this creates a large number of different measuring and testing tasks that must be completed to finally ensure perfect electronic and mechanical functions within the charging unit. 

Charging connectors are usually checked for dimensional accuracy using a 2D optical inspection device. Once these are installed into charging cables or sockets, it’s important to confirm that the plastic housings are accurately shaped and fitted to ensure the correct contact with the energy source and safe handling for the vehicle owner. This means that 2D and 3D dimensional measurements are required within the process of producing the plug and connector assembly in order to achieve the desired quality.

To meet this requirement, a multisensor coordinate measuring instrument (CMM) offers the ideal solution. Whether the feature needs a quick 2D optical inspection or a more accurate tactile measurement, a multisensor CMM ensures that the right sensor is used at the right time, all within a single part program. With the support of a metrology software optimised for multisensor measurement, programming is simple, while the additional option of importing CAD data such as STEP or IGES file via a bidirectional CAD interface allows programming and comparison against nominal data.