Nameplate Inspection System

1
May03-07
Nameplate Inspection System
Abstract
Design Requirements

• Design Objectives
• Inspect a large amount of plates without causing
  delays in the current manufacturing process
• Process different thicknesses and dimensions of
  nameplates without being affected by adhesives
• System integrates with existing machinery
• Functional Requirements
• Must not damage plates during separation
• The system must be programmable to handle
  different quantities and dimensions of plates
• Vision system can keep pace with the changing
  manufacturing needs
• Design Constraints
• The system will require little user intervention
  and assure the quality of the nameplates
• The client will determine an appropriate size and
  cost for the system
• The system will not compromise the safety of the
  operator
• Measurable Milestones
• Project documentation
• Mechanical system design
• Vision system design
• Mechanical system creation
• Vision system creation
• Inspection system integration

Metalcraft, Inc of Mason City desires a system
that will inspect nameplates for defects. The
system must mechanically separate the plates from
each other, inspect each one for defects, restack
the correctly manufactured nameplates and inform
user of any defects. The nameplates to be
inspected have an adhesive backing on them that
causes glue residue on the sides of the plate,
resulting in the plates sticking together and
interfering with the individual inspection of the
plates.
Acknowledgements
The invaluable technical advice as well as the
equipment needed for the final system will be
provided by MetalCraft, Inc. They have extensive
knowledge of the nameplates as well experience in
building various systems to support their
manufacturing process.
Introduction

• General Background
• Metalcraft currently uses costly manual
  inspection of nameplates which does not ensure
  consistency in products
• Nameplates must be inspected to ensure proper
  sequencing, position of printed items, missing or
  erroneous print and any other anomalies
• A visual nameplate inspection system will be
  designed to automate the inspection process and
  guarantee high quality nameplates
• Technical Problem
• Separate nameplates from each other
• Consistently deliver a single plate to the vision
  system
• Inspect plates for defects in sequence,
  positioning and print quality
• Inform operator of results so that defective
  plates can be reprinted and put in the proper
  sequence
• Operating Environment
• Relatively clean space which aids visual
  inspection
• Intended Users and Uses
• Metalcraft, Inc. and its employees shall use the
  system to inspect various quantities and sizes of
  nameplates
• Assumptions
• The entire system is first concerned with
  separating the plates and then inspecting them
  for defects
• There is limited space for modifications of the
  current machinery
• Limitations
• There is a limited amount of time to work on the
  project
• Travel distance will limit the amount of face to
  face contact with the client

Technical Approach

• The problem will be divided into two
  sub-problems
• The mechanical system will concentrate on
  separating plates and delivering them to the
  vision system
• The vision system will focus on the inspection of
  the plates for quality assurance

Testing Approach

• The two systems will be tested separately
• Mechanical system prototype will be used to
  assure correct operation and separation of
  nameplates
• Subset of nameplates will be presented to the
  vision system to verify defect detection and
  compared against manual inspection results

Financial Budget
The financial resources this project will be
donated by Metalcraft, Inc. either through
monetary contributions or the donation of
necessary parts.
Personnel Effort
End-Product Description
The mechanical system shall be able to transfer
nameplates of various sizes one at a time to the
vision system where the nameplate will then be
inspected for defects and abnormalities.
Rejected plates will be reported to the operator.
The inspection system will be programmable from
a PC and able to operate with minimal attendance
from the user.
Team Members Ben Weatherman bennyw_at_iastate.edu Ja
cob Powell jacob_powell_at_yahoo.com Paul
Slifka pslifka_at_iastate.edu Dejan
Leginovic dejanl_at_iastate.edu
Faculty Advisors John Lamont jwlamont_at_iastate.ed
u Ralph E. Patterson, III repiii_at_iastate.edu
Client