Surface inspection deals with the analysis of surfaces and is usually performed as part of the final inspection. Inspection systems automate this operation by taking pictures of the part and then analysing them. The surface of the part is completely scanned the aid of several line and matrix cameras. Software analyses the images and segments the errors on the surface. Following this, the errors are evaluated with respect to size, shape or position. The errors identified by this process are then assessed against a set of rules to make an OK/NOK – okay/not okay decision for the part as a whole.

Hand in Hand: Expert knowledge and software

The OK/NOK decision often relies on a great deal of knowledge from quality experts. This knowledge must be emulated by the software. This can either be done by a series of evaluated test samples, or by adaptive systems that learn from experts at the production line. PROFACTOR develops methods and approaches for accelerating and simplifying these steps.