SKZ Plastics Center is developing a radar-based system with two partner companies for quality assurance of plastic sheets in injection molding.
The technology enables non-destructive and contactless real-time monitoring of sheets for defects.
Automatic defect detection and machine learning aim to minimize material waste and reduce production costs.
New Radar System Revolutionizes Injection Molding Quality Control.
The SKZ Plastics Center in Germany is collaborating with two partner companies on the development of a radar-based system for precisely monitoring the quality of plastic sheets in injection molding. This non-destructive and contactless method allows real-time detection of defects in the sheets.
The project, funded by federal funds, is being carried out in collaboration with Trilitec GmbH, a provider of radar-based measurement technologies, and VendOs Industrietechnik GmbH, a specialist in industrial automation.
Radar waves are used to inspect the plastic sheets. A combined transmission and reflection setup identifies defects such as air inclusions and the presence of foreign materials. The use of narrow-band and modular microwave radar systems enables cost-effective solutions with high lateral resolution, an improvement over conventional and costly inline measurement methods, according to SKZ.
The automatic defect detection technology is based on machine learning, especially deep learning, and artificial neural networks, according to SKZ. This technology is particularly suitable for precise pattern recognition in images.
The joint project aims to minimize material waste and thus reduce production costs. "This resource-saving approach not only promotes sustainable and digital production but also strengthens the profitability of the local plastics industry," said Pierre Pfeffer, a senior scientist specializing in non-destructive testing at SKZ.
