A CPS platform oriented for Quality Assessment in welding

Abstract

The major advantages of spot and seam welding are high speed and adaptability primarily for high-volume and/or high-rate manufacturing. However, this paradigm fails to meet the principles laid down by Industry 4.0 for real-time control towards Zero Defect Manufacturing for each individual product and intuitive technical assistance on the process parameters. In this paper, a Robust Software Platform oriented for a CPS-based Quality Assessment system for Welding is presented based on data derived from IR cameras. Imaging data are pre – processed in real-time and streamed into a module which utilizes Machine Learning algorithms to perform quality assessment. A database enables data archiving and post processing tasks along with an intuitive User Interface which provide visualization capabilities and Decision Support on the welding process parameters. The modules’ IoT-based communication is performed with 5C architecture and is in line with Web Services.