In recent years, the industrial sector has undergone a considerable increase in competition, so precision and efficiency for quality control have become a key aspect for many companies. In this regard, quality control systems with artificial vision have become a revolutionary tool in the field, providing advanced solutions and improvements in detecting the different defects we might find in products. Don’t miss out on this post by E2M COUTH, where we will discuss all the aspects of these systems to guarantee quality in your production.
Systems for quality control with artificial vision
To understand the scope and application of these artificial vision systems, the first thing we want to address are which systems exist. This group includes everything from smart cameras to algorithms with deep learning. Each component in these systems is crucial for robust control.
These are the systems for quality control with artificial vision that you can find:
- Smart cameras: Let’s begin with the cornerstone of all artificial vision systems: smart cameras. Not only do they capture images; the also process the information in a smart way, which makes it possible to precisely detect all errors or anomalies the product may have.
- Learning algorithms: Let’s move on to the ability these systems have to learn and adapt. To this end, deep learning algorithms make it so that artificial vision can improve its pattern recognition capacity, as well as on-time detection of all defects in the product.
- Specialised sensors: Within industrial settings, you can also use special sensors to capture specific information. They can analyse different aspects, such as temperature, chemical composition, etc. This guarantees much more precise quality control.
Main features of quality control systems with artificial vision
The systems in charge of quality control with artificial vision are more efficient than other traditional methods, thanks to their features. These are some of these systems’ features:
- Speed and efficiency: Systems for quality control with artificial vision are able to work with large work and data volumes in real time. This speeds up the inspection process, which reduces production times, all while guaranteeing the best quality in your production.
- Precision and consistency: These systems have a high degree of precision when detecting problems, which reduces human error. This means that error detection is highly consistent, regardless of environmental conditions.
- Adaptability: Let’s continue with another aspect of quality control systems with artificial vision, the adaptability they provide. Learning algorithms make these artificial vision systems adaptable, which means they can adapt to changes in the production setting and thus learn from new anomalies that may appear over time.
- Integration with other systems: Artificial vision systems can be fluidly integrated into existing quality control systems. This improves the detection capability, without having to interrupt the production chain.
All these aspects not only improve operational efficiency, but also bring the quality of the products to another level. This makes quality control systems with artificial vision a key tool in modern quality control.
Discover the main benefits of quality control systems with artificial vision
If you are thinking about implementing quality control systems with artificial vision, you should know that you can obtain a series of benefits that could positively impact the efficiency and profitability of industrial work. They are:
- Reduced waste: By detecting flaws and defects early, you can reduce the number of defective products, which means you reduce waste, improve your production, and increase your plant’s efficiency.
- Improved productivity: As mentioned, by automating different inspection processes, you free up human resources for more complex tasks, thereby increasing the production plant’s productivity.
- Higher quality: Logically, when you use quality control systems with artificial vision, you are guaranteeing compliance with the highest quality standards. This improves your brand’s reputation and customer satisfaction.
- Economic savings: We know that these systems can mean a great initial investment, but implementing these systems can lead to significant long-term savings. This is because of the reduction in costs associated with quality defects and having to do work over again.
- Regulatory compliance: There is strict regulation in terms of standards in industry. Using quality control systems with artificial vision means you can comply with regulations and standards, thereby avoiding fines and ensuring the integrity of all products. Additionally, it may be mandatory to have systems that guarantee top quality for legal reasons.
Use of quality control systems with artificial vision based on the sector
Today, systems for quality control with artificial vision are present in industries in different sectors. They include:
- Automobile industry: In the automobile industry, artificial vision systems make it possible to detect all problems and imperfections in important parts for the process, thereby guaranteeing safety and the utmost durability for cars when they leave the plant.
- Food and pharmaceutical industry: These are two industries where quality and safety are key aspects in making products. With artificial vision systems, you can have detailed inspection of food and medication, which guarantees compliance with all legal regulatory standards. Any issue with a product of this type could be counterproductive for the brand, which is why it is so important in this sector.
- Electronics: Within the electronic device manufacturing sector, you should know that artificial vision quality control systems provide optimum performance for components, reducing flaws and waste.
- Textile industry: Let’s move on to another industry where quality control systems with artificial vision are highly necessary: textile production. With these systems, you can detect issues in fabrics and patterns that would be impossible to detect with the human eye.
The best advice to implement quality control systems with artificial vision
Now you know how important quality control systems with artificial vision are. For this reason, we are going to give you some advice so you can easily implement them in your industrial plant.
- Exhaustive needs analysis: Before choosing the artificial vision system for your plant, you should conduct a detailed analysis of your specific quality control needs. It is important to know which defects you wish to detect and the relevant environmental conditions.
- Inter-disciplinary collaboration: It is important that you involve your engineering, production, and quality teams in the implementation process. Collaboration between different disciplines will provide clear requirements and a more fluid implementation.
- Staff training: You must ensure that all staff at your plant is duly trained to operate and maintain artificial vision systems. It is essential to know and understand how the system works for it to be as effective as possible.
- Ongoing evaluation: Within the process, you must include ongoing evaluation to adjust and improve all system performance as conditions and quality standards evolve within your industry.
Main challenges with artificial vision quality control
Many industries are facing several challenges in implementing quality control systems with artificial vision. For example:
- High initial costs: As stated earlier, it is true that the long-term benefits provided by artificial vision quality control systems are significant, but the initial cost for implementation can be high. To contend with this situation, the best thing is to establish financing strategies and analyse return on investment.
- Need for specialised staff: Many of these systems require special skills, so training and keeping your company staff is essential. You should have trained staff.
- Adaptability to changes in production: Variations in products or production processes are also a challenge for artificial vision quality control. These systems’ capability to adapt is key and essential for the industry.
Discover solutions for artificial vision quality control that we offer at E2M COUTH
E2M COUTH is specialised in providing artificial vision solutions to improve processes on a production line. For this reason, we have several solutions that are essential all along a production line. They are:
Inspection
When you get an inspection system, you are working with systems that are in charge of examining and measure the characteristics of a product, as well as the components and materials used to make it. They are also highly useful to evaluate processes or services. These systems have a high working capacity, so they can inspect many products every hour, compared with manual inspections.
They are fundamental for product quality control, as well as to examine labels or packaging on different products in different industries, such as beverage, food, pharmaceutical, etc. Artificial vision can detect all product errors or flaws, no matter how small, even those invisible to the human eye.
Orientation
Let’s move on to another one of the great systems in charge of quality control with artificial vision, the ones that work on product orientation. On a production line that works with containers, it is important that they be in the correct position when going by key points where they will be processed, such as filling, capping, or labelling.
The orientation systems we offer at E2M COUTH are able to orient different kinds of containers so that they are in the proper position.
Rejection
On all production plants, one fundamental aspect is removing products from the line that may have flaws or errors that make it so they cannot be sold. For this reason, rejection systems, in addition to detecting the flaw, are able to remove the product from the production line, to keep it from reaching the customer.
At E2M COUTH, we have several rejection systems: one that works by impact, which directly knocks the product off the production line, and other by diversion, which creates a parallel line of defective products for later verification to see if they are apt for sale. The first system is designed for products that are not delicate, while the diversion system is most suitable to fragile products.
We hope that you now understand the importance of quality control with artificial vision in industry today, and in different processes. We know you may still have questions or wish to improve quality at your production plant. In both cases, the best thing is to contact us so we can give you the best advice.
