AI-Powered automatic tape placement

A Revolution in Pipe Quality Control and Inspection

Solution

Ceyeborg’s solution was to develop a custom “open” inspection station design to allow seamless integration into the production line of FibronPipe. The open design allowed different pipe widths to be easily integrated into the same inspection station without modifications and minimized the risk of physical damage to the pipe in case of mechanical movement or “swinging” during production. The inspection station was designed to be shallow in depth, allowing FibronPipe to integrate it with a minimal extension to their production line’s length.

To accommodate the production conditions of high-temperatures and a wide-range of produced pipe widths, Ceyeborg engineered a custom 2-axis movement mono-camera solution that is insensitive to infra-red heat compared to laser-based solutions. The 2-axis camera allowed for free movement of the sensor setup after the installation of the inspection station, such that changes in the exact position and width of the pipe were no issue to capture within the moveable camera’s field-of-view. The 2-axis camera setup was controlled by Ceyeborg’s AI-based computer vision software through a custom designed PCB and ECU.

The challenge of detecting gaps and overlays of same color is difficult to solve with pure classical computer vision methods. Ceyeborg developed a custom semantic segmentation AI-model coupled with classical computer vision-based post processing to achieve an optimal mix of cutting-edge and mature techniques to solve the problem at hand. The overall software solution was able to deliver the semantic predictions of the observed tape placement features, as well the exact millimeter dimensions of the feature instances.

Finally, the dimensions and classification of every gap or overlay produced was communicated back to the tape winder to control its tape placement head – guaranteeing an optimal placement and correctness throughout production, regardless of mechanical noise or other physical changes during production.

Ceyeborg constructed terminal stations for the operators to view the inspection system at any time. Our software’s web-based interface, allowed both on-site operators to quickly check the status of all stations, as well as remote personnel to securely view the pipe and the AI’s predictions during production, without being present at the factory line.

Result

Ceyeborg’s end-to-end AI-based inspection solution was successfully installed at FibronPipe’s facility and has automated the process of correcting the winders during production, which was done manually at all winding stations of the factory until this point. This freed up the line operators to perform other critical tasks during production and eliminated cases of tape placement “drift” during production. The integration of the AI-based inspection system into the FibronPipe’s programmable-logic control bus allows logging every event into a Ceyeborg-developed database. The detections of Ceyeborg’s AI-based inspection system together with the control decisions taken on the winding stations are used by FibronPipe to ensure the quality of every meter of pipe produced.

Here are the resulting benefits after employing the ATP system: