RESEARCH PROJECT ON SAND MOLD QUALITY CONTROL
Project background:
The client’s production process involves creation of more than 150 custom sand molds, which are then used to cast iron parts. During the mold-making process, sand grains often crumble off or, conversely, extra sand pieces/grains remain in the mold, causing inaccuracies in the cast iron part. Therefore, a quality control system is needed that visually evaluates the quality of each sand mold.
Biggest challenges: the large number of molds and variation in their shapes.
Solution:
As part of the project, a prototype algorithm was developed that could identify defects in real time and visually indicate their location within the form under production conditions and using a camera positioned above the production line. Defects down to 0.5 cm were visually identified. The mold’s alignment with the necessary standards and its proper placement was also assessed.
Visual analysis was performed by using motion tracking algorithms, computer vision algorithms, and deep learning methods.
Key benefits:
- Improved quality control time and efficiency;
- Remote monitoring;
- Increased customer satisfaction.
