Control 2024

Numerous Fraunhofer institutes research and develop in the field of image processing and optical or acoustic testing for quality assurance. At the Control 2024 stand, which is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Vision Business Unit, current new developments from various fields will again be on display.

This year, we will present exhibits from the fields from the fields of surface inspection, optical 3D metrology, inline measuring and testing, component identification and augmented reality. New developments in the field of non-destructive testing with technologies such as X-ray computed tomography, terahertz and ultrasound will also be on display.

Other topics are acoustic monitoring of production and laser acoustics.

Numerous exhibits work with artificial intelligence or machine learning methods, so that the visitors will be able to get an overview of respective trends.

The Fraunhofer institutes' systems and solutions are used in numerous industries such as automotive and automotive suppliers, mechanical and plant engineering, aviation, plastics, semiconductors, but especially in future industries such as battery and fuel cell production or recycling. The fields of robotics, automation technology, process technology and sensor technology are also addressed.

Fraunhofer IOF has developed the mobile handheld scanner goSCOUT3D, which enables the 2D and 3D digitization of complex objects spanning several cubic meters with a high spatial resolution of less than 0.25 millimetres. The scanner has now been coupled with a walking robot from the US company Boston Dynamics, allowing the measurement process to be carried out completely automatically without human assistance.

Since virtual 3D models enable the precise documentation of large machines and their details, possible areas of application include the maintenance of complex components or the quality control in industrial manufacturing.

more about Autonomous 3D documentation thanks to a combination of mobile hand scanner and walking robot (DE)

Aussteller: Fraunhofer IOF, Jena

At the Fraunhofer Vision stand, a system for optimizing individualized manufacturing processes will be presented, which is intended to support manufacturing companies with the increasing individualization of manufactured products.

The system uses sensors for optical quality assurance, such as holography and pattern projection or mark-free component tracking. In addition, the exhibit focuses on the "SWAP-IT" architecture, a new technological concept that enables the transformation of rigid processes with individual processing stations into flexible and dynamic manufacturing environments. The Production Flow Description Language ("PFDL") will also be presented. This specially developed description language enables orders in manufacturing to organize themselves independently, resulting in an order-centric and highly automated production environment.

The system has been developed by a consortium of several Fraunhofer institutes as part of the Fraunhofer lighthouse project SWAP (Heterogeneous, workload-optimized robot teams and production).

more about Flexible and dynamic manufacturing environment for the production of individualized mass products (DE)

Exhibitors: Fraunhofer IOF, Jena; Fraunhofer IPM, Freiburg; Fraunhofer IOSB, Karlsruhe; Fraunhofer IML, Dortmund; Fraunhofer Group for Production, Magdeburg

Measurement System for AI-supported Detection of Surface Characteristics in Roll-to-roll Processes (SURFinpro)

Fraunhofer AZOM has developed an intelligent measurement system (SURFinpro) for AI-supported detection of surface defects, artefacts and texture deviations in roll-to-roll processes (R2R), based on the laser triangulation technology, i.e. for photovoltaics. During the manufacturing of various layer or film systems based on R2R technologies, defects typically occur during the manufacturing process, which affect the outer appearance of the layers or the general quality and functionality of the systems. The structure of such manufacturing defects can manifest itself in a wide range of different sizes and characteristics. Depending on the process, the components used can be adapted for optimal detection of the imperfections.

more on the Measurement System for AI-supported Detection of Surface Characteristics in Roll-to-roll Processes (SURFinpro)

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IWS, Dresden

AI-based AR-software for assembly line support and quality control

Industrial assembly lines vary considerably. Some operate with frequent changes of product setup, while others are characterized by complex processes and the need for intense coordination between frontline workers and backroom experts. Fraunhofer IGD has combined augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to help users meet the challenges of modern production. At the Control 2024 the Fraunhofer IGD presents the MARQUIS demonstrator, an innovative AR-based assembly workstation, revolutionizing industrial assembly processes. MARQUIS integrates Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, and Augmented Reality to provide real-time support and verification. The system enhances efficiency by automatically recognizing parts, verifying steps, and providing instant feedback to workers, ensuring precision and quality. This intuitive tool reduces training needs and preempts errors, directly overlaying critical information in the camera view for a seamless assembly experience. This way, manufacturers can reduce error rates and eliminate cost-intensive downtimes.

more on AI-based AR-software for assembly line support and quality control

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IGD, Darmstadt

Inline surface inspection systems and virtual inspection planning

The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, Kaiserslautern, presents a robot-based surface inspection system for the complete inspection of industrial components of turned and milled metal parts. The focus is on the objective and complete detection and evaluation of the surface, independent of the surface texture. Its special feature is that it has several interfaces for image acquisition, examines the component and performs the comparison with the CAD model as well as the visualization of this CAD model; moreover, it includes the algorithms for the automatic calculation of viewpoints. The visualization of the CAD model is successively modified depending on the viewpoint of the robot, so that the already inspected part regions are visibly marked. Complex metal objects can be inspected, while at the same time, even if not enough defect samples are available for machine learning training. The solution is based on photo-realistic image simulation with parametric modeling of defects and surface texture. In addition, the positioning of the robot for a complete surface inspection is ensured by using the virtual inspection planning software V-POI.

more on Inline surface inspection systems and virtual inspection planning

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer ITWM, Kaiserslautern

Automating manual inspection: lower entry barriers with image-based anomaly detection

AI-based image processing has the potential to solve even very complex inspection tasks. However, it requires a large amount of labeled training data. Anomaly detection presents a lower barrier to entry due to significantly less training data. Fraunhofer IPK will interactively demonstrate the opportunities of anomaly detection for optical inspection at Control.

more on Automating manual inspection

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IPK, Berlin

Inspection of specular surfaces with deflectometry

For the inspection of flat or curved reflective surfaces, Fraunhofer IOSB uses the deflectometry method. It can be used to examine embossed, polished, painted or glazed surfaces made of plastic, metal, glass and other materials. As a result, information is available on the location, size and type of functional or aesthetic defects and, if required, on the shape and waviness of the surface. Possible applications for the method can be found wherever defect-free surfaces of low roughness are required. A portable system for inspecting up to 30 x 10 cm² workpieces will be presented at the Control booth.

more on Inspection of specular surfaces with deflectometry (DE)

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IOSB, Karlsruhe

High-speed microscope for 100 percent optical quality control

A high-speed microscope (HSM) developed at the Fraunhofer IPT, is used to examine microscopic structures over large areas in a short time as part of an optical 100 percent quality control process. The technique can be used on samples of a wide variety of types, from microelectronics to stem cells.

more on High-speed microscope for 100 percent optical quality control (DE)

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IPT, Aachen

Light Field Inspection - light field based light source for flexible use

With lightfield-based light sources, objects with complex geometries are illuminated by a specially adapted »light recipe« in such a way that relevant structures can be detected with maximum contrast. The optimal light field for this task is determined by an algorithm that intelligently adapts the lighting modalities to the individual object geometry. This approach shows the way for a future generation of inspection systems, as here image evaluation and lighting are optimized together for the most efficient inspection system possible.

more on Light Field Inspection - light field based light source for flexible use (DE)

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IOSB, Karlsruhe

System for fast inline measurement of 3D surfaces with sub-µ accuracy HoloTop

The Fraunhofer IPM will be presenting the HoloTop Infinity system, a new development from the HoloTop sensor family, which can measure areas of 150 × 125 mm² with 100 million 3D points in under 1 s, at the Control trade fair stand. The measuring field can be extended as required by arranging several sensor heads in a matrix - e.g. three sensor heads for the full-surface measurement of a bipolar plate. The quality of the measurement data will be illustrated using various sample specimens.

more on System for fast inline measurement of 3D surfaces with sub-µ accuracy HoloTop

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IPM, Freiburg

Inline 3D production metrology and assembly inspection: system solutions and software modules

In the manufacturing of individualized products with a high number of variants, more flexible and adaptive optical measurement and inspection systems are increasingly needed for inline quality inspection. The Fraunhofer IFF develops such customized and flexible 3D measuring systems for dimensional and form inspection as well as for assembly and completeness inspection. Individual functional modules are also available as software libraries, such as geometric evaluation of 3D point clouds, simulation of optical sensors to generate synthetic target data, flexible CAD-supported view and inspection planning in 2D and 3D or calibration and calibration of optical sensors. The objective are economic and automated solutions despite individual products and small batch sizes.

more on Model-based digital quality control from batch size 1

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IFF, Magdeburg

LAwave - Surface acoustic wave tester – Fast and non-destructive mechanical testing of coatings and surfaces

The LAwave technology developed by the Fraunhofer IWS is a fast and non-destructive method for the mechanical characterization of surfaces and coatings and is based on laser acoustic surface wave spectroscopy. By determining the effective modulus of elasticity of the coatings and the substrate, material-related and production-related characteristics in the material are precisely determined. The method makes it possible to measure coatings in the range of a few nanometers to one millimeter as well as changes to surfaces.

more on LAwave - Surface acoustic wave tester – Fast and non-destructive mechanical testing of coatings and surfaces  

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IWS, Dresden

Acoustic monitoring in fuell cell production

Fraunhofer IDMT presents a method for acoustic quality assurance based on sound analysis and artificial intelligence, which can provide a profitable supplement to optical testing methods when they reach their limits. Possible areas for the use of acoustic methods include the monitoring of welding or machining processes. At the stand at Control 2024, the method will be demonstrated using an air field hockey table on which three visually indistinguishable pucks made of different materials can  be distinguished by the mere sound when they hit the board.

more on Acoustic monitoring for production

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer IDMT, Ilmenau

Layer thickness measurement with terahertz

At the Fraunhofer ITWM in Kaiserslautern, terahertz measurement systems are developed which can be used, among other things, to measure layer thicknesses in industrial environments. As the latest version of the terahertz layer thickness measurement system, a robot-assisted variant is now available, i.e., a collaborative robot, or »cobot« for short, is used for simplified integration into the working environment. The Fraunhofer ITWM system is particularly suitable for the thickness measurement of individual layers within a multilayer system, where the coating can be applied to any material. In addition, moist, sticky, and soft coatings and layers on curved surfaces can also be measured.

more on Layer thickness measurement with terahertz

Exhibitor: Fraunhofer ITWM, Kaiserslautern

Partners

INNOCISE GmbH, Saarbrücken (www.innocise.com/en/home)

NEXT.robotics GmbH & Co. KG, Mönchweiler (www.next-robotics.de/en)

OHB Digital Connect GmbH, Mainz (www.ohb-digital.de/en)