Nickel Inspection

Challenge

The customer is currently using a manual process to inspect and sort nickel pieces on a conveyor belt. Personnel is responsible for identifying and removing any pieces that do not meet the required shape or dimensions, as well as any contaminated pieces and unknown objects. This process is potentially error-prone and may lead to inconsistencies in sorting, especially when dealing with large volumes of nickel pieces or unknown objects.

Solution

To address these issues, we provide a solution that involves installing a linescanner camera on the conveyor belt. This camera inspects each nickel piece as it moves along the belt, checking for correct dimensions and detecting any contamination with oil spills. It is also programmed to identify foreign objects that should not be in the system.

To remove the unwanted nickel pieces that it identifies, we have implemented a robotic system with a magnetic gripper. This robot quickly and accurately removes the identified pieces from the conveyor belt, preventing them from entering the system. Additionally, we have installed a device that blows air to push any unknown objects off the conveyor belt. If this system is unable to remove the objects successfully, the conveyor belt can be automatically stopped, and an alarm can be sent to alert personnel to investigate the issue.

Results

• Automated detection and removal of non-conforming nickel pieces and foreign objects — error-prone manual inspection replaced entirely
• Oil contamination identified in real time by the linescanner, preventing contaminated material from entering the downstream process
• Automatic conveyor stop and alarm triggered for edge cases beyond the robot's removal range, eliminating undetected pass-through of foreign objects