Factory Automation

Factory automation is the marriage of control systems with information technology to control industrial machinery and reduce the need for human oversight and intervention. Industrial automation technologies typically involve robotics, motion control, integrated manufacturing systems, programmable logic control systems, machine vision systems, and so forth.

Today, powerful computers are used to synchronize the data gathered from various sensors, make intelligent decisions in real time, and control outputs to actuators and events. This leads to precise actions that can tightly control most industrial processes.

For well defined and non-complex factory automation challenges, off-the-shelf solutions can easily be applied. The real engineering challenge arises in improving quality control and manufacturing process efficiency for more complex systems. In those cases, selection of the appropriate solution can be a daunting task even for a seasoned engineer or consultant.

Effective automation requires flexible, customizable, configurable, fault tolerant, redundant, and highly intelligent systems that can integrate across a wider spectrum of industrial processes and steps. This is where Boulder Imaging's depth and breadth of experience in solving complex factory automation challenges can help you most.

For example, Boulder Imaging developed an automated quality inspection system for Lexmark that does much more than just “pass” or “fail” a printer drum based on the presence or absence of surface defects.  The system included a linescan-based system that both inspects the drums at rates of 80 parts/min and guides robots to sort the drums into “pass”, “fail” groups. In addition, an operator workstation for each line allows an engineer to view defects as well as to precisely pinpoint where in the production process the defect was introduced – raw material or during any of the coating processes - and to address problems in real time.  This rule-based classification into likely causes on the production line vastly improved overall assembly line quality and control.

The defects can be extremely small (bubbles, scratches, etc down to 50 microns) and require powerful image processing to classify. The BI system reduced costs by 40% due to defects in the printer drum manufacturing process. The BI system can also easily grow with the customer. As Lexmark creates new models, a simple tuning of algorithms for defect detection is all that is required. In effect, this solution addresses both current requirements and future needs while cutting down historical problems with false positives.

Boulder Imaging also had to address environmental and materials challenges in the solution design and implementation. Factors such as surface reflection, lighting, camera selection, etc., were all carefully integrated to create this successful machine vision implementation.

Boulder Imaging systems allow you to improve efficiencies through defect analysis and detection, variable decision making, and remediation of problems in real time based on continual real time data acquisition and analysis. Below is a list of some of the capabilities that can be brought to bear in resolving complex issues:

• Capture and aggregation of visual and non visual data
• Non invasive and environmentally sensitive data capture
• Capture of irregular and/or non sequential incidents for examination and appropriate remediation
• Complex and multi/mega variable decision making
• Defect and root cause detection
• Ruggedized systems

Boulder Imaging Exceeds Your Factory Automation Needs

It is through the application of Boulder Imaging’s core technologies that rapid deployment and implementation of solutions to factory automation challenges is possible. Do any of these following items apply to your organizational line challenges?

• High speed process examination
• Visual and/or non visual data capture for automated decision making
• Adjusted action based upon defect, deep examination, image processing
• Real time insight into line actions
• Complex event triggering
• Re-inspection and/or components tracking
• On demand integrated master control of inspection and operations
• One time or continual review of incidents and/or factory activities
• Multi angle and/or multi view of item, incident, or process

If you would like to learn more about Factory Automation and how Boulder Imaging can assist your organization in addressing particular needs please contact us.