It is interesting to consider, when examining the role of metrology in the "Fourth Industrial Revolution," whether Industry 4.0 is driven by the development of metrology or vice versa.
Today's most sophisticated metrology systems drive quality assurance (QA), which has become a fundamental digital task that itself facilitates efficient and cost-effective production processes. In a very real sense, today's QA data controls how products are manufactured and drives bottom lines and repeatability in production, which is crucial in all broad industrial manufacturing scenarios.
From this perspective, advocating for QA-driven Industry 4.0 is a short-lived leap. The dynamic growth of non-contact 3D optical metrology solutions in recent years reinforces this argument, as image processing and vision systems can be easily integrated into Industry 4.0 processes.
So we began to change our preconceived notions. For a long time, metrology in production QA has been seen as a necessary evil, a checkmark in the product development process that doesn't directly add value. From this perspective, it could be said that metrology is useless except for capturing failures in the production process. If there are no failures or defects, then the role of metrology is superfluous.
However, in the modern world, metrology is a source of massive amounts of data that can be used to power systems used in smart factories or Industry 4.0 environments, enabling truly data-driven production.
Delving into Industry 4.0
A key competitive driver for manufacturers today is efficient production, which is why Industry 4.0 solutions, using digital technologies to stimulate innovation and improve production processes, are gaining attention across all critical industrial sectors. As these technologies become more sophisticated and costs decrease, Industry 4.0 will become increasingly important as a trend.
The foundation of the Industry 4.0 concept requires companies to examine their competitive models and focus on improving their capabilities through the digitalization of the entire production process to deliver more cost-effective products.
Today, this requires these companies to completely reassess their entire value chain and apply different mindsets and toolsets to integrate the physical, digital, and virtual worlds. Industry 4.0, which encourages the integration of intelligent manufacturing systems and advanced information technologies, is the foundation and future of many of the world's leading manufacturers.
For many manufacturing companies, driving a digital manufacturing strategy is crucial to remaining competitive in the coming years. At its core lies the capture, analysis, and modification of data. From this perspective, the role of 3D metrology solutions is clear: it goes beyond simply capturing occasional QA failures in production.
The power of measurement-driven data
For Industry 4.0, the use of big data is crucial, as is its movement and application throughout the product development process. Algorithms are used to adjust manufacturing processes to ensure consistent, efficient, and, most importantly, repeatable production with zero failure rates. 3D data captured during part manufacturing using rapid, non-contact optical metrology systems can be directly provided to the quality control team. The team can analyze the consistency with design intent by comparing this data with the 3D CAD solid model. Any areas of concern can be highlighted, and CAM files can be adjusted immediately.
This automated process requires almost no shutdown, significantly reducing failure and scrap rates, thus improving overall production efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In this context, advanced 3D optical metrology solutions enhance the quality, quantity, and speed of data collection, allowing for the assessment of its analysis and significance in the blink of an eye, thereby improving the manufacturing process.
Smart Factory Metering Solutions
In highly digitized factories, metrology plays a crucial role by continuously collecting and sharing data across interconnected devices, machines, and production processes to support digitized production at every stage. To achieve the goals of a "smart factory," manufacturers must improve their processes to bridge the gaps in data related to inspection at each stage of the production value map. It also allows manufacturers to gain a better understanding of the entire supply chain, including suppliers. Smart factories equipped with industrial robots and automated handling systems rely heavily on fully automated control systems and rapid verification and feedback.
This facilitates the use of in-process metrology solutions and non-contact 3D optical solutions.
Typically, when examining the best use of metrology in today's advanced manufacturing environments, the discussion revolves around whether it's used in the lab or in the process. Ultimately, a key driver of this shift from lab to process is the desire to "get data faster" and, more importantly, to make data-driven decisions faster. Therefore, it is a critical element for the efficient operation of Industry 4.0 and smart factories.
Compared to traditional metrology solutions that are standalone, offline activities, in-process solutions offer several key advantages, most notably the speed at which the data obtained impacts decision-making. If metrology is performed in a laboratory, parts must be transferred to the QC department and then set up for metrology operations. If metrology is online, various process steps can be eliminated, and rework is reduced because defects and problems can be identified and corrected immediately. Therefore, in-process metrology helps prevent problems before they occur, and if problems do arise, they can be identified and resolved before they become costly and time-consuming issues.
Non-contact optical metrology solutions also align with the Industry 4.0 concept because they are faster and cover a larger area than contact devices. Fully integrated 3D optical metrology facilitates fully automated closed-loop production. Furthermore, advancements in computer processing and optical technologies mean a significant increase in the amount of data that can be acquired and analyzed. 3D optical metrology solutions used in the process allow processed data to be input from the metrology system into the factory management system, greatly advancing the concept of the smart factory.
summary
For automation to succeed in the Industry 4.0 era, the data collected for monitoring and control must be reliably communicated. As part of this trend, metering devices are being integrated into manufacturing systems to collect data for intelligent decision-making to prevent process changes.
Smarter, more flexible, and faster-learning metrology systems are central to Industry 4.0 and an integral part of all advanced manufacturing systems. Such systems facilitate the development of connected factories, significantly reducing downtime while accelerating the production of more innovative, better-designed, and higher-quality products. While there are many developments in this field, forward-thinking companies should indeed focus on the advanced metrology solutions available on the market today, which can be used to improve manufacturing efficiency at all levels.
