AI Quality Control Achieves 98% Accuracy in Metalworking

A manufacturing firm struggled with manual quality control, risking undetected defects. They implemented an AI-powered visual inspection system that significantly improved efficiency. Inspections rose from 1-5% to 20%, with a 98% success rate in catching defects. This resulted in higher quality products and reduced costs.

Client:

Dormer Pramet, a globally recognized leader in metal cutting tools, has carved a niche by providing high-performance solutions for the metalworking industry. Their extensive product portfolio caters to diverse metal-cutting needs, offering innovative tools that ensure precision and efficiency for various machining applications.

Problem Statement:

The company faced limitations with its manual quality control process.
This approach resulted in:
● Risk of undetected defects: Inspections could miss flaws until the final stage, impacting product quality and customer satisfaction.
● Low inspection efficiency: Manually inspecting their vast product portfolio (tens of thousands of inserts) was time-consuming and challenging.
● Difficulty detecting microscopic defects: Tiny imperfections, crucial for tool performance, were invisible to the naked eye and required specialized equipment.
● Lack of detailed defect data: Limited data hampered analysis and prevented proactive measures to improve production.

Results:

☑️ Boosted Efficiency: Inspections skyrocketed from a mere 1-5% to a substantial 20%, significantly tightening quality control throughout production.
☑️ Unmatched Accuracy: The system boasts a remarkable 98% success rate in defect detection, continuously learning and improving over time.
☑️ Cost Savings: By identifying and eliminating defective parts early on, the solution prevents them from advancing through the production line, minimizing waste and saving money.
☑️ Data-Empowered Optimization: The system gathers detailed defect data, enabling proactive measures to be taken for production line optimization.
☑️ Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Consistent delivery of high-quality, dependable tools translates to a significant boost in customer satisfaction.
☑️ Industry Benchmark: Dormer Pramet has become a trailblazer in AI adoption for metalworking quality control, setting a high standard for the industry.

AI Solution:

To address their quality control challenges, Dormer Pramet developed a cutting-edge visual inspection system featuring several key components:
● High-Resolution Cameras and Macro Lenses: These capture intricate details of the inserts, revealing even microscopic defects as small as 10 micrometers.
● Motorized Platforms: By moving the inserts under the cameras, these platforms capture multiple overlapping images, overcoming limitations in field of view.
● AI Deep Learning Software: This is the heart of the system. It analyzes captured images with exceptional accuracy, identifying defects across Dormer Pramet’s vast product portfolio. The deep learning model’s strength lies in its ability to handle variations without the need for manual adjustments for each insert type.
● Robotic Arm: This automates the handling of inserts during inspection, streamlining the process.
● Intuitive User Interface: This user-friendly interface allows operators to swiftly analyze results, mark defects, and provide feedback to the system. This feedback loop fuels continuous learning and ongoing model improvement.
● Data Management System: This generates comprehensive reports and tracks defect trends, offering valuable insights for optimizing both quality control and production processes.

Seamless Integration for Maximum Benefit:
The AI solution is strategically integrated into the press shop, the very beginning of production. This placement allows for early detection of defects, maximizing its impact. The robotic arm seamlessly interacts with the system, receiving instructions to pick and place inserts based on the inspection results (good or defective). Additionally, operators can access historical data and analyze trends to pinpoint areas for improvement.

References:

1. Insightful Quality Control

Industry: Manufacturing, Metalworking
Vendor: DNAi
Client: Dormer Pramet