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ROI CalculatorVisual inspection involves using eyes to ensure quality and safety by examining products or equipment with your eyes for defects such as scratches, dents, etc. The same process is generally followed in all areas and is typically the first step of quality control, safety, and maintenance. Tools are often not needed, however, visual inspection can be enhanced with additional aids: magnifiers, and cameras.
More than just visual inspection through eyes, inspectors also determine whether there are defects based on sounds made by the machine or the smell of an engine emitting fumes due to an internal leak. Each visual inspection will differ, therefore, no one procedure exists on how to conduct a visual inspection, and as a result the visual inspection effectiveness depends on each inspector's experience.
Visual inspections conducted today are different from previous visual inspections conducted with the help of technology such as remote cameras, drones, condition monitoring sensors, and the latest automated systems driven by AI and ML technologies.
Visual inspection can cause reduced uptime. Traditional visual inspection requires turning the machine off, which decreases productivity/efficiency for production. Maintenance workers have moved away from a reactive style to utilizing a proactive maintenance style.
That said, VI is far from obsolete. Plus, technological improvements make visual inspections easier. For example, maintenance professionals can now use remote cameras, drones, and AI systems to inspect areas of equipment that are hard to reach or housed in locations with hazardous materials.
Nowadays, VIs doesn’t need to be conducted at the asset location. Instead, inspectors can use high-quality cameras and other RVI tools to collect visual data remotely.
Generally, inspectors use RVI tools when the inspection area is either dangerous or difficult to reach, or both. For example, if the site you want to inspect is miles away from your current location, you can use remote cameras, a robot, or drones to inspect the site visually.
As with most industries, automation is useful for visual inspection. Automated visual inspection (AVI) relies on AI to capture visual information through cameras.
AI works the same way with visual inspection systems as with anything. First, provide the algorithm with a sample of a well-manufactured product. You can also add a few defective product samples, so the algorithm learns what it needs to look for in a defective product.
Once implemented, the AVI system will inspect every product you manufacture. The system detects defects by capturing the product’s image from multiple angles and comparing it with the pictures of the well-manufactured sample you fed into the algorithm during setup.
