Catch dropped, missing & under-torqued screws before they leave the station.
FlexIPS monitors the screwdriving station and machine-vision-tests every position: is the screw present, is it in the right hole, is it torqued to spec? The full process is tied to the barcode, so every dropped, skipped, or loose screw is caught, traced, and routed for review before release.
of screw positions monitored; dropped, skipped, or loose screws caught every cycle
every screw result tied to the serial via the barcode read at station start
vision re-tests every cycle until PASS, keeping pace with the line and the screwdriver
Screws
8
Torque
·
Cycle
< 100 ms
Drop a screw. Watch vision respond.
This is a live simulation of a FlexIPS screw drop detection station. Click any screw to make it loose or missing, hit Seed a drop for a quick scenario, then run a scan. The detection rings, torque read-out, and verdict update exactly like they do on the line.
Screws
10 / 10 OK
Issues
0
Confidence
0.99
Try it: drop a screw
Click any screw to cycle it: OK (torqued) → loose (under-torqued) → missing (dropped). Then run a scan.
Detection results
PASSDropped, loose, or torqued, verified on every assembly.
A screw joint is only reliable when the screw is there and tightened to spec. FlexIPS checks both, catching the dropped and under-torqued fasteners that cause leaks, rattles, and field returns.
Dropped & missing screws
- Screw dropped before it reached the hole
- Screw picked but never started in the thread
- Hole skipped entirely in the drive sequence
- Screw lost during rework or re-positioning
- Empty hole masked by oil or swarf; still flagged
Loose & under-torqued
- Screw seated but below the torque target
- Cross-threaded or stripped screw - driven but not holding
- Wrong screw grade or length in the position
- Drive aborted early; short angle or low torque
- Screw backed off after the drive cycle
Correct & complete
- Every screw present in the correct position
- Drive sequence followed end-to-end
- Torque and angle within spec for every screw
- No cross-threaded or stripped fasteners
- Assembly complete; released to the next station
One screw-monitoring engine, every assembly.
Wherever screws are driven, whether gearbox covers, engine sub-assemblies, enclosures, or safety-critical joints, a dropped or loose screw is a risk. FlexIPS verifies it before the unit is released.
Gearboxes & Transmission Cases
Monitor every bolt on a gearbox or transmission cover - catch a dropped screw or an under-torqued bolt before a costly leak or failure.
Engine & Sub-Assembly
Verify screwdriving on engine covers, oil pans, brackets, and sub-assemblies - presence, sequence, and torque on every fastener.
Covers, Lids & Enclosures
Inspect ring-of-bolt covers, access panels, and electronic enclosures for dropped or missing screws before the unit leaves the station.
High-Mix Assembly Lines
Recipes swap automatically with the barcode - one station verifies many product variants without re-tooling or manual setup.
Safety-Critical Fastening
On brake, steering, and structural assemblies, confirm every screw is present and torqued; mate-gated release prevents a bad unit from being shipped.
Manual & Semi-Auto Stations
Give operators a clear pass/fail with the failed screw highlighted - no more relying on the operator remembering every hole.
Monitored, barcode-linked, and line-paced.
Per-Screw Monitoring
Every screw position is watched through the cycle: empty, started, driven, torqued. A dropped or skipped screw is caught the moment it happens.
Torque + Angle Capture
Screwdriver torque and angle are captured per position and checked against the target for that variant - loose and under-torqued screws do not pass.
Barcode-Linked Plan
The barcode read at station start loads the exact screw plan (positions, sequence, and torque targets) so variants are handled automatically.
Station-Lock Release
The station cannot release the part until every screw is present, in position, and torqued; the unit physically cannot leave incomplete.
Image Evidence Per Screw
A captured image of the assembly is stored against the serial, so quality can prove the state of every screw on any unit, any time.
FAIL Routing to FlexCheck
A dropped or loose screw routes the unit to FlexCheck with the failed position highlighted and the action to take clearly labeled.
Every screw, every assembly, tied to the barcode.
Screw monitoring is not just a pass/fail light. Each screw, its presence, position, torque value, the captured image, and the verdict are stored against the serial, so you can prove the state of every fastener on any unit, any time.
Serial-linked proof
Every screw result, torque value, image, and verdict is tied to the serial and searchable in FlexDashboard for any assembly, any time.
Catch drops in-cycle
A dropped or skipped screw is caught at the station, not discovered downstream or as a field failure.
Audit-ready
Prove every screw was present and torqued on every unit shipped, exportable for audits, PPAP, and containment.
Screw B3 missing
No screw detected in hole; likely dropped
Screw B6 loose
4.7 Nm / target 12.0 Nm, under-torqued
Screw I1 missing
Inner hole empty; screw not inserted
When a screw is dropped or loose, the operator sees exactly which one and why.
If any screw fails (dropped, missing, or under-torqued) the assembly is routed to FlexCheck. The failed position is highlighted on the stored image, labeled with the defect and the measured torque, and paired with the action to take: re-drive, rework, or controlled override.
- Every screw monitored: present, missing, loose, or torqued
- Measured torque shown against the target per failed screw
- Failed positions highlighted directly on the captured image
- Clear action label per failure: RE-DRIVE, REWORK, or OVERRIDE PASS
- Every decision logged against the serial for traceability
From barcode to traced verdict in one paced cycle.
Step 1
Identify
The operator scans the barcode at the station, loading the matching screw plan, torque targets, and sequence for that exact variant. Every result is tied to the serial.
Step 2
Monitor
Vision watches every screw position throughout the cycle: was a screw picked up, driven, dropped, or skipped? Each hole is tracked from empty to torqued.
Step 3
Verify
Screw presence, position, and drive torque are checked together. A screw that is present but under-torqued - or dropped entirely - is flagged before release.
Step 4
Release
Release PASS to the next station only when every screw is present, in position, and torqued to spec, or route FAIL to FlexCheck showing exactly which screw failed and why.
Drops into any screwdriving station.
FlexIPS bridges IT and OT without middleware, from screwdriver torque controllers and PLC handshakes to MES genealogy records.
Screwdrivers & PLC I/O
Capture torque and angle from the screwdriver controller, handshake with the station, and return pass/fail to the line PLC with 24V logic - station-lock on any dropped or loose screw.
MES & Traceability
Barcode, variant, every screw result, torque value, image, and verdict written to your MES or SQL store, with full genealogy tied to each assembly shipped.
Line-Paced Cycle
Every screw position is checked and re-tested every cycle until PASS within the station cycle, running alongside the screwdriver, calibrated to keep pace with the line and never become the bottleneck.
Common questions from assembly and quality teams.
Catching dropped, skipped, and under-torqued screws, answered for production and quality teams.
What is screw drop detection?
Screw drop detection is a machine vision check that monitors a screwdriving station and catches screws that are dropped, skipped, or never inserted into their hole during the assembly cycle. FlexIPS watches every screw position, compares it against the screw plan for that barcode, and flags any hole left empty, together with torque verification so a screw that is present but loose is caught before the unit is released.
How does screw drop detection verify that screws are tightened correctly?
FlexIPS combines vision with screwdriver torque and angle data. For every screw position the system records whether the screw is present, whether it is seated in the correct location, and whether the drive torque reached the target value for that variant. Under-torqued, cross-threaded, or dropped screws are all flagged against the serial and routed to FlexCheck for review before the station can release the part.
How is each screw result linked to the barcode and serial?
The cycle starts with a barcode read, which loads the matching screw plan (positions, sequence, and torque targets) for that variant. Every screw result (present, missing, loose, torque value, angle, confidence, and the captured image) is then written against that serial number into FlexDashboard, giving you a searchable, audit-ready genealogy record for every unit shipped.
Can screw drop detection keep up with a fast assembly line?
Yes. FlexIPS inspects every screw position and re-tests every cycle until PASS within the normal station cycle (typically well under one second), so the check runs alongside the screwdriving operation and never becomes the bottleneck. Results, torque data, and verdicts are logged in real time as the operator works.
What happens when a screw is dropped or loose?
The station is held and the unit is routed to FlexCheck review, where the failed screw is highlighted directly on the captured image, labeled with the defect (dropped, missing, under-torqued) and the action to take: rework, re-drive, or controlled override. Every decision is logged against the serial for full traceability and root-cause analysis.
How does screw drop detection differ from the Screw Tightening Station?
They overlap heavily and often run as one station. Screw drop detection focuses on catching screws that were dropped, skipped, or never inserted (the empty hole) during a screwdriving cycle, combined with torque verification. The Screw Tightening Station is the broader step-gated process that also enforces sequence, position, and release. FlexIPS does both from the same image and torque data.
Does it need a fixture or jig?
No. While a locating fixture gives the fastest, most repeatable cycle, FlexIPS can also locate each screw hole dynamically on the part with vision. That means screw drop detection works on flexible, high-mix assemblies and even when the part shifts slightly on the pallet, with no dedicated jig required.
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Test FlexIPS screw drop detection on your assembly
Send a sample assembly, a screw plan, or a work instruction and we will map a tailored demo around your screw positions, torque targets, sequence, and traceability requirements.