Analysis Solution to Improve Fault Detection on Mechanical Assembly Production Lines

**Helical Technology Ltd*开发经济实惠、易于培训的视觉故障检测系统，以便在多条产品装配线上轻松部署。*挑战**Helical Technology是一家总部位于英国西北部的家族制造企业，从50多年前作为一家弹簧制造商成立以来，已成长为几种专业机械产品的全球供应商，包括阀门旋转器、执行器和阀门。Helical在英国的两个地点内的许多生产线需要在给定的一天内生产各种产品，许多组装过程依赖于零部件的精确定位来避免故障和昂贵的质量问题。从历史上看，质量通常是通过对零件进行人工过度检查来确保的，这既耗时又容易出错。在某些情况下，商业上可用的视觉系统已经部署在生产线上，以提高产量和检查质量，但它们在生产线上的使用受到了限制，因为购买和重新配置此类系统的固有成本，通常需要外包给第三方。**解决方案**在注意到机器学习和人工智能领域的最新进展后，一名螺旋工程师开始试验开放源代码，教机器算法检测简化的构建错误。在取得一些初步成功后，人们认识到还需要更多的外部专业知识和资源来生产一个完整的检查系统并进一步发展这一想法。螺旋技术公司寻求与STFC哈特里研究所在一个由A4I资助的项目上建立合作伙伴关系，该项目导致开发和提供一种新的易培训的分析软件方法，并生产和部署第一个演示单元。**影响**在螺旋生产线上部署演示系统立即导致消除了人类视觉检查操作，这提高了生产线生产率和输出质量。不是被机器取代，生产线操作员被重新部署到其他地方，从事生产率更高、负担更轻的任务。示范单位是企业内的一个试点项目，受到员工的欢迎，促使围绕该业务诞生了更多类似的项目。通过合作的A4I项目，参与其中的Helical员工掌握了更高的技能，能够重新调整内部单位，启动新项目，并用他们的专业知识为其他人提供建议。通过向更广泛的英国制造业社区宣传这个项目，其他类似的制造业中小企业被鼓励进行类似的项目，以提高他们的竞争力。

**Helical Technology Ltd****Generating an affordable, easily-trainable, vision fault-detection system for easy deployment across multiple product assembly lines.****Challenge**Helical Technology is a family-owned manufacturing business based in the North-West which from establishment over 50 years ago as a spring manufacturer, has grown into a global supplier of several specialised mechanical products including valve rotators, actuators and valves.Many production lines within Helical's two UK sites are required to produce a varied range of products in a given day, and many assembly processes rely on precise positioning of component parts to avoid faults and costly quality issues.Historically, quality was often assured by conducting a manual over-check of parts, which was both time consuming and prone to error. In some cases, commercially available vision systems had been deployed on lines to improve throughput and checking quality, but their use across the production line had been limited due to the inherent costs of purchasing and then reconfiguring such systems, which often required outsourcing to third parties.**Solution**Having noted recent advancements in the fields of machine learning an artificial intelligence, a Helical Engineer began to experiment with open-source codes to teach a machine algorithm detect a simplified build error. After gaining some initial successes, it was recognised that further external expertise and resource was needed to produce a full inspection system and develop this idea further.Helical Technology sought partnership with STFC Hartree Institute on an A4I funded project, which led to the development and supply of a novel easily-trainable analysis software method, and the production and deployment of the first demonstrator unit.**Impact**The deployment of the demonstrator system on a Helical production line immediately led to the elimination of the human visual checking operation, which saw increased line productivity and quality of output.Instead of being replaced by a machine, line operatives were redeployed onto more productive and less onerous tasks elsewhere.The demonstrator unit served as a pilot "Industry 4.0" project within the business and was well received by employees, prompting further similar projects to be birthed around the business.Through the collaborative A4I project, Helical employees involved were upskilled in empowered to re-calibrate the unit in house, start new projects, and advise others with their expertise.Through publicity of this project to the wider UK manufacturing community, other similar manufacturing SMEs were prompted to undertake similar projects to increase their competitiveness.