Quick Summary: This blog unveils unique use cases of computer vision in manufacturing. From product design, product manufacturing, and quality control to logistics and product dismantling, computer vision revolutionizes almost every aspect of the manufacturing business.
That’s why many leading manufacturing giants, including Ford and General Electric Vernova, are using computer vision technology to redefine their manufacturing operations. The uses of computer vision in manufacturing are immense; all it needs is to identify the areas where you find challenges and then determine how to address them by implementing computer vision technology, a subset of artificial intelligence.
Here, in this blog, we will highlight computer vision use cases in manufacturing to help you understand the potential of this technology and what areas it can transform to streamline manufacturing operations and reduce manual efforts.
Without further ado, let’s start!
What is Computer Vision in Manufacturing?
Before exploring the use cases of computer vision for manufacturing, let’s understand it in brief. Computer vision is a subset of artificial intelligence that enables a system or application to extract critical information from images, videos, and other media. The integration of computer vision in manufacturing solutions and systems has contributed to smart manufacturing and industry 4.0 and 5.0.
The increasing adoption of computer vision in manufacturing is evident from the stat that highlights the market for computer vision in the manufacturing industry is expected to reach USD 63.48 billion in 2030.
Another report by Fortune Business Insights reveals that the manufacturing segment holds the largest market share of computer vision.
Benefits of Computer Vision in Manufacturing
Implementing computer vision in different manufacturing processes, including production and quality control, renders a plethora of benefits. The top benefits of computer vision in manufacturing are as follows:
#1 Improved Quality Control
Like any other industry, ensuring top-notch quality of products is crucial for the manufacturing industry as well. Computer vision-powered systems and solutions help with automatically detecting defects, inconsistencies, and anomalies in the products during the product process.
It not only ensures premium quality but also eliminates the risk of defects in the developed goods. Along with defect detection, computer vision technology also eliminates the chances of errors and brings accuracy by automating product inspections.
#2 Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity
As mentioned earlier, computer vision-powered systems and solutions can help manufacturers automate product quality and inspection processes. It improves operational efficiency and increases productivity. Moreover, managers can also ensure faster product production cycles.
A report by Deloitte highlights that implementing computer vision along with other technologies can expedite manufacturing cycles and spike productivity by 12%.
#3 Minimized Costs
Computer vision-enabled systems can aid in minimizing waste by ensuring each product is being developed without any defects and adhering to the defined standards. Moreover, it reduces labor costs by automating tasks where manual inspection is required.
Apart from these two, the technology also assists manufacturing organizations with predictive maintenance of equipment based on analyzing them for wear and tear. All these benefits together reduce a significant amount of time and costs.
#4 Improved Safety
Ensuring the safety of all workers is one of the prime responsibilities of any manufacturing company. By implementing computer vision in existing infrastructure or building computer vision-powered systems and solutions, this goal can be achieved.
Such systems can easily identify potential safety issues, such as broken equipment, obstructed walkways, and more, in the factories or production units. Additionally, these systems can also be quite helpful with employee monitoring to ensure each of them adheres to safety protocols like wearing protective clothing or gear.
#5 Data-Driven Decision-Making
Computer vision along with artificial intelligence can process large amounts of data to offer critical insights associated with different production processes. By relying on those insights, manufacturing companies or assigned managers can figure out bottlenecks, streamline workflows, improve productivity, and enhance overall efficiency.
11 Unique Use Cases of Computer Vision in Manufacturing
Here are 11 unique computer vision use cases in manufacturing:
Use Case #1 Automated Defect Detection
In traditional settings, manufacturing businesses hire large teams of experts to manually inspect products for scratches, cracks, and other flaws. If any of these flaws get overlooked, may be due to lack of experience or work overload, it may lead to delivering a defective product, customer dissatisfaction, and increased production costs (if the entire product is to be rebuilt).
It may also impact the brand reputation. Implementing a computer vision system in manufacturing processes automates the defect detection process and prevents the occurrence of these issues. Computer vision-powered solutions can efficiently monitor the product manufacturing process to identify which products are defective.
Use Case #2 Workers’ Safety
Monitoring workers’ safety is one of the critical responsibilities of any organization, including the manufacturing business. While every manufacturing organization ensures this by employing a dedicated team of professionals, it may become a little challenging in the case of a large workforce.
With computer vision-powered systems, manufacturing companies and assigned managers can easily ensure complete workers’ safety so that incidents like injuries can be avoided or immediate actions can be taken in case any accident happens. These systems can create reports and also send notifications in case any worker is not following safety guidelines such as not wearing a helmet or any other protective gear.
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Use Case #3 Quality Inspection
Ensuring the quality of products is critical for any manufacturing business’s success. While every manufacturing company places a dedicated quality team for inspection and control, doing this manually may not guarantee that there are absolutely no errors in the product’s quality inspection. Also, it is not easy for human quality inspectors to check the quality of every single part, especially when there are thousands of products.
Implementing computer vision for quality control and inspection processes not only expedites the process but also brings precise outputs with no chances of errors. It also improves operational efficiency and minimizes labor costs. Computer vision-powered quality inspection ensures that each product is thoroughly inspected rather than just checking random samples.
For instance, in the case of a pharmaceutical company computer vision-powered systems can inspect tablet manufacturing and identify defects in the quality. Check out the below image to understand better.
Use Case #4 Dimensional Measurements
For manufacturing any product, it is crucial that it has accurate dimensions. Computer vision systems ensure that each product that is manufactured has the right size, shape, and dimensions meeting the defined standards. These systems ensure high precision and accuracy in each product. Doing this manually may consume a significant amount of time. Moreover, these systems don’t require touching to measure the dimensions of products. It prevents damage and contamination.
Use Case #5 Assembly Verification
Assembly verification involves checking if the components of a product are assembled correctly and completely. For example, in the case of manufacturing an electronic device, computer vision-based systems or solutions make sure that all screws and bolts are in place. It reduces the chances of manual error while making sure that the product is manufactured correctly in one go.
Use Case #6 Maintaining Packaging Standards
Verifying the integrity of the packaging is imperative. Manual inspections of packaging for seal integrity, correct labeling, and the presence of all components might not deliver accurate results, especially when there are thousands of products to be verified. Moreover, manually holding each product, especially food items, may cause leakages and contaminations.
Computer vision helps in ensuring the highest packaging standards. The systems and solutions built using this technology can efficiently and effortlessly verify factors like the product piece count, correct labeling, seal information, and more, without any fail or error. Moreover, it also reduces any chance of leakage or contamination of products.
Use Case #7 Predictive Maintenance
Computer vision-powered systems automatically monitor manufacturing equipment for wear and tear that may impact their efficiency and manufacturing of products. It analyzes the images of machinery and can even detect overheating or excessive vibration that may even lead to a serious accident in the manufacturing facility or factory.
Use Case #8 Supply Chain Optimization
Supply chain optimization plays a major role in the manufacturing business. It includes overseeing the movement of goods and managing inventory and warehouse operations. Implementing computer vision in manufacturing helps companies to automatically track inventory levels, identify missing or misplaced items, and ensure the optimal utilization of warehouse space.
Many big companies are already using drones with cameras to scan warehouse shelves to verify inventory levels and avoid stock-outs and overflow of inventory.
Use Case #9 Real-time Barcode Scanning
Barcodes have become an essential part of each product; they are used for the identification of products. Therefore, it becomes essential for any manufacturer to ensure that each barcode has been printed correctly. Manually analyzing each barcode is not possible as it would need a significant amount of time without guaranteeing the precision in the output. Computer vision systems do this automatically taking comparatively much less time and ensuring high precision in each inspection.
Use Case #10 Material Sorting and Segmentation
Computer vision systems leverage segmentation and classification techniques to sort and categorize materials based on various elements and visual characteristics, including color, size, shape, and texture. It reduces manual effort while ensuring accuracy in the sorted and segmented items.
Use Case #11 Facial Recognition for Access Control
Computer vision systems and solutions with their facial recognition capabilities ensure that particular manufacturing areas or spaces can be accessed only by authorized personnel. It ensures maintaining the integrity of specific items being manufactured in that facility.
Also Read: How Augmented Reality Streamlines Manufacturing Operations
What Techniques of Computer Vision are Used in Manufacturing
Now that you know the applications of computer vision in manufacturing, let’s explore the computer vision techniques that are used to render diverse use cases in manufacturing:
Feature Detection
This technique involves pinpointing significant visual elements in an image to automatically perform multiple tasks during the manufacturing lifecycle. These elements could be points, edges, lines, and more. Now to identify the same, computer vision utilizes “Keypoints and Edge Features.”
The former, i.e., Keypoints, are distinctive regions of interest within an image. These are similar to human eyes or license plates. Keypoints detection can be achieved through local or global search methods that make computer vision-powered systems capable of rapid analysis or dynamic scenarios.
The latter, i.e., Edge Features highlight unexpected changes in color or brightness within an image. They generally indicate the boundaries of objects. Edge detection algorithms typically employ gradient-based methods that incorporate noise reduction filters to enhance accuracy.
Recognition
Recognition involves three major roles. The first one is instance recognition, which leverages feature matching and machine learning to pinpoint particular objects. The second one is class recognition, which is about identifying objects that are associated with a particular category. Lastly, the third one, i.e., general category recognition, is the highly complex one that is required to perform the identification of the locations and categories of different objects.
Explore More: How AI is used for Computer Vision and Image Recognition?
Segmentation
The segmentation technique involves assigning different groups to various pixels of an image. These groups are defined or classified based on the category of the object. In this technique, modern segmentation is also done by using advanced algorithms that take into account different factors, including the consistency and differences of pixels within a region. Mean shift, graph cut-based Markov models, and level sets are some of the methods used to perform the task of segmentation.
3D Modeling
This computer vision technique involves using two or more images of an object or scene to generate its 3D model. It also incorporates 3D reconstruction, i.e., creating a 3D model from a 2D image or video data. 3D object recognition, 3D reconstruction, and depth perception are the three core concepts on which 3D modeling works.
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3 Computer Vision in Manufacturing Examples
Considering the immense benefits and amazing use cases of computer vision in manufacturing, manufacturing organizations across the world are using computer vision to streamline their manufacturing operations, expedite manufacturing, ensure workforce and equipment safety, and for other processes. Let’s take a look at the five manufacturing companies that are using computer vision:
Mech-Mind Robotics
This China-based 3D vision company uses computer vision-powered systems and solutions to streamline different tasks, such as bin picking, machine assembly, and more that are used to manufacture integrated hardware and other products.
Instrumental
Instrumental is a California-based company that manufactures electronics and utilizes computer vision along with predictive analytics for various tasks in its manufacturing facility. From real-time monitoring to detecting defects, Instrumental uses computer vision technology to improve productivity and throughput.
Ford
The world-renowned company uses computer vision in various manufacturing operations, including quality control, robotics and automation, predictive maintenance, and logistics and inventory management. The technology helps the company to improve product quality, enhance efficiency, and ensure workforce safety.
How to Implement Computer Vision in Manufacturing?
Here is a stepwise process to integrate computer vision in manufacturing:
#1 Define Your Objectives
Firstly, identify the areas that you want to improve with computer vision. It could be quality inspection, process optimization, ensuring workers’ and equipments’ safety, and getting predictive maintenance. Based on your need, explore the suitable use cases of computer vision in manufacturing operations.
#2 Acquiring and Preparing Data
The next step is to choose the appropriate camera considering various parameters, such as resolution, lighting, frame rate, and more. It might also include placing the cameras strategically to make sure optimal image quality and coverage of a particular facility. Now proceed to data labeling and annotation leveraging the right tools. Make sure the data is clean, accuarte, and properly labeled to train computer vision models.
#3 Selecting and Training Computer Vision Models
Select the right computer vision model for object detection, image classification, and segmentation. Then utilize a suitable cloud platform to deploy the computer vision model. Train and validate the model on the labeled data and verify its performance. Continously monitor the model for refinement and training using hyperparameters.
#4 Integration with System and Deployment
The next step is to integrate the trained model into your existing technical infrastructure or manufacturing systems. It may also include deploying the developed computer vision-powered system directly on the manufacturing facility floor to facilitate real-time processing.
#5 Continuous Monitoring and Maintenance
Monitor the computer vision-powered solution or system’s performance continuously to identify and troubleshoot issues before they become a roadblock to the system’s functioning or performance. Don’t forget to update the model regularly with new data to ensure accuracy in the output.
If you don’t want to try your hands on developing a computer vision-powered system, then connect with a reputed and trusted computer vision solution development company that has prior experience in creating computer vision solutions for manufacturing.
Conclusion
Computer vision in manufacturing is transforming various aspects of the industry by streamlining processes, automating product quality inspection and control, enhancing productivity by automating various operations, minimizing waste with digital lean manufacturing, and more.
Delve deeper into this blog that highlights unique use cases of computer vision in manufacturing and also provides detailed information on the benefits of computer vision in manufacturing, the implementation process, computer vision techniques used in manufacturing, and a lot more.
In case, you want to utilize the potential of computer vision technology by integrating it into your current systems and solutions, connect with a leading computer vision development company.
