High speed video finds production line faults

The majority of production line jamming problems occur too fast for the human eye to discern exactly what caused the problem - HSV slows down recorded events reports Andrew Bridges.

Synopsis - Primary benefits are as follows.

1 - The majority of production line jamming problems occur too fast for the human eye to discern exactly what caused the problem - HSV slows down recorded events to enable engineers to quickly see exactly what occurred and why.

2 - Production line speeds can be optimized by using HSV to tune lines to their maximum reliable throughput and profitability.

3 - Production line problems can occur at any time - HSV systems can be triggered by different automated/manual triggers and the recorded images can be automatically downloaded for later review and analysis.

4 - Reliability can be improved through using HSV to study every aspect of the production cycle.

5 - Research and development - drop testing.

6 - Recorded images can be studied by many people in a more conducive environment or e-mailed off site.

7 - Training aid.

The drive for improved efficiency and increased profit is relentless and never more so than on the floor in today's factories.

Production lines originally designed and built to output three hundred parts/min are constantly tweaked and improved in an attempt to increase their throughput beyond figures ever considered by their creators.

These improvements are all very well but when something goes wrong, as it inevitably seems to do, the results can be near catastrophic and horrendously expensive in downtime and the resultant loss of production output.

What is needed is a simple to use tool that enables engineers to quickly identify problem areas or ways to improve already high speed processes.

* Enter high speed video - the ability to see a very fast moving part or process in high definition slow motion is a priceless tool for the engineer charged with quickly solving a costly line blockage or extracting the maximum efficiency from a new packaging machine.

Consider a typical cigarette line where as many as ten thousand cigarettes a minute are manufactured on a single line, this means over one hundred and fifty cigarettes are flying past per second; a continuous blur of white paper impossible for the human eye to usefully comprehend.

By recording video at two thousand frames per second (fps), a feat easily achieved in mega pixel resolution by the latest generation high speed video systems from Photron, both technical and non-technical people alike are able to see previously unintelligible data.

With one hundred and twenty thousand pictures per minute, or the equivalent of twelve images per cigarette, there is more than enough data captured to determine precisely what is happening.

When things go wrong on a fast-moving production line, they tend to do so in spectacular style.

With product moving at a rate of several hundred/min, it only takes a couple of seconds to end up with product jammed into every nook and cranny and flying all over the floor, unless someone is permanently stationed on the line to shut down when a jam occurs.

A more cost effective option would be a high speed video system linked to an automatic visual trigger such as a laser, pressure switch, or even a machine vision camera.

The high speed camera can be set to automatically record as many frames as are needed to clearly show the cause of the jam.

The images can then be automatically downloaded and saved to a remote hard drive, feasibly hundreds of miles away at corporate head quarters, to await review when the responsible engineer needs them.

The slow motion cameras and proprietary software from Photron also offer the end user ability to save recorded files in a variety of industry-standard file formats, making them available to everyone, not just those knowledgeable with a particular process.

They can be used as a training aid for other line personnel to help them recognize the symptoms that contribute to line blockages or failures.

If key frames are identified and saved as a sequence of a few JPEG or TIFF images, they can easily be e-mailed to other plants with similar lines to help optimize efficiency at all locations, globally.

High speed video becomes an indispensable tool with major cost-saving benefits when maximum performance, efficiency and reliability is critical on a primary production line.

Slow motion imaging enables study, in minute and precise detail, the various stresses at different points on the line.

This information can be useful in preventing breakdowns at each stage of the production process as well as a tool for reviewing exactly what occurred when and if a suspect part fails or an oversize/defective part passes through a point down line.

The production line is just one area where advanced high speed cameras are being used.

Other applications include Research and Development, drop testing, product failure cycle testing and many other areas where the ability to study a high speed process or phenomena in slow motion high resolution detail enables engineers and non-technical personnel alike to see precisely what occurs and pinpoint exactly what is needed to fix, to optimize or to correct the event.

High speed video quickly helps you minimize your down time to keep the production lines operating to their maximum possible efficiency every single time.

With cameras ranging from PC-based systems with a compact camera attached to a PCI card for under US$10,000, to top of the range super light-sensitive, stand-alone systems capable of recording up to 250,000 fps, Photron offers the widest range of high speed video systems available.

* About the author - Andrew Bridges is with Photron USA.

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