BOOSTING INSPECTION PERFORMANCE WITH AI AND DEEP LEARNING
Inspection systems play a crucial role in keeping consumers safe, as product contamination can cause harm and has the potential to result in high costs and damage to brands. Elisabeth Skoda looks at recent developments and explores the role AI can play to make inspection systems more efficient.
A proactive approach Different types of inspection systems, whether it’s vision inspection, metal detecting or X-ray systems, face a range of challenges and have to find a balance between precision and false rejects. Smart technologies have increasingly been used in inspection technology not just to identify contaminants, but also to improve efficiency, compliance and profitability. In the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), everything that can be connected will be connected, points out Phil Brown, Managing Director of Fortress Technology Europe and Sparc Systems. Knitting together the extraction of data and bridging the gap between machines and humans to help predict rather than react to all types of production scenarios. Advanced new systems with data collection and paperless test routines are becoming more prevalent. “Manufacturers might opt for a combination metal detector and checkweigher capable of pre-configuring every test by retailer code of practice and product being inspected. As demonstrated by the Raptor series recently launched by Fortress and Sparc, integrated sensors can confirm when a check has been conducted, generating a dated digital due diligence report that is signed by the operative on the screen for full transparency,” Mr Brown adds. | 18 | Packaging Europe
In food inspection, the quantity of data tags is fairly small. Yet, this makes it easier to automate the identification of meaningful patterns. When timeseries granular data is monitored side by side across a fleet of machines 24/7, it provides production managers with the level of production oversight previously unattainable. “Robust communication must be the starting point of any good digital transformation program. We recently launched a new suite of connectivity software. Comprising turnkey packages like Contact Reporter and Contact Manager, the Industry 4:0-ready package also gives factories a choice in networked data retrieval technologies – including OPC/UA Adapter and Ethernet/IP Adapter – to facilitate real-time end-to-end production visibility and enhanced Quality Assurance and due diligence,” says Mr Brown.
A software-driven approach This year, Fortress Technology Europe and Sparc Systems are set to launch a system that combines two technologies – X-ray and metal detection – to provide a more failsafe inspection solution in line with digital transformation. “Sparc engineers have conceived a software-driven solution for inspecting dual density products with an X-ray. The software uses two algorithms
