Why visual inspection is no longer enough
Surface defects are often smaller than 0.1 mm and only become visible under a specific lighting angle. Human inspection depends on the operator, is not repeatable, and cannot keep up with cycle times under two seconds per part.
System architecture
Image acquisition
12 - 24MP global shutter cameras with telecentric lenses remove perspective error. Dome, coaxial and low-angle lighting are switched per cycle so each defect class is revealed.
AI processing at the edge
An Edge AI computer runs a segmentation model trained on the customer's own images, grades defects by severity and returns an OK/NG signal to the PLC within 120 ms.
Traceability and improvement
Every NG image is stored with its defect label, feeding Pareto root-cause analysis and periodic model retraining.
Recommended hardware
- 24MP 10GigE industrial camera (DEMO-CA-2450M)
- 1/2.5" C-Mount telecentric lens
- Dome and low-angle lighting with a 4-channel controller
- Edge AI computer with a real-time inference GPU
Results
99.4% detection rate, under 0.5% false calls, fully replacing two manual inspection stations per shift.