Etisoft Smart Solutions vision systems on Samsung production of refrigerators
Nowadays, mass production frequently requires automation and specialised machinery to provide the customer with the demanded product quality. Selective inspection of individual units, often by a tired human eye, does not meet the standards required by industry leaders anymore. Machine visions systems (MVS) i.e., automatic status verification based on image analysis is one of the best solutions to this problem.
Plenty of forward-thinking companies decide to implement similar solutions in their plants since vision systems translate to a great extent into improved KPIs relating to quality and reduced number of complaints. Etisoft Smart Solutions specialises in the implementation of this type of solutions for our customers. Our implementation at Samsung is an example of such a modern solution.
Vision system at Samsung – what was the purpose of the project
The vision system is a customised solution adapted to the customer’s specific requirements and capabilities. The main assumption of the project was to create a vision station for the inspection of specifications of refrigerators.
The station was not only to be adapted and integrated with the physical production line, but it was also to be programmed to detect any deviations from specifications of a particular product and imposed by the product sheet. The system designed for our customer at Samsung was to detect flat surfaces and analyse control panels, labels, mechanical and structural defects, or misplaced hinges in doors.
Course of implementation – 4 stages and compliance tests conducted between them
- Arrangement stage – we began with defining, together with the customer, the specifications of a particular station (we distinguished the right models of refrigerators – samples for further design work). The station was mounted inside the plant that is why its dimensions had to be defined and the design had to be adapted to the existing infrastructure of the production line.
A significant part of this stage was also to establish the system’s interface and manner of integrating it with the customer’s IT system: remote connections had to be set up, statuses had to be checked, communication with PLCs had to be established and the time at which the refrigerator would stop to take pictures had to be defined.
- Design stage – at this stage we were creating the mechanics and the automation, electrical, IT and vision design. A 3D model of the station was created and later approved by the customer. The design is available for review and consultation until final approval. During stages 1 and 2, the samples were all the time analysed on the prepared vision test bench at Etisoft Smart Solutions.
- Execution stage – we proceeded to the implementation of all the previously established assumptions and production of the station. The final tests and pre-production launch of the device took place just before the assembly on the customer’s premises. The assembly conducted during the operation of the production line lasted only several hours and did not cause any disturbances in the production process.
- Adjustment stage – after the installation, the vision system needed to be calibrated and appropriately warmed up on the customer’s actual production line. This stage usually lasts from a few hours to a few days. Due to the wide range of variants (several million product types) and our customer’s complex production plan, this stage has already taken several months.
To meet our customers’ expectations, we remain at the customer’s disposal, after the adjustment stage and the acceptance of the project, for a longer period for technical support.
We would like to thank Samsung Electronics Poland Manufacturing Sp. z o.o. for the possibility of cooperation and excellent course of the project implementation.
If automatic status verification based on image analysis can be useful on your production line, contact us.
