CeADAR and partners use Machine Learning to improve manufacturing processes across key European industries
CeADAR, Ireland’s national centre for Applied Data Analytics & AI, has joined an €11 million European project to enable Europe’s industrial manufacturing processes to enhance operations by moving to zero-defect manufacturing.
The InterQ European project will drive the competitiveness of the European industrial environment through the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. It will improve the quality of manufacturing across a range of industries, including aeronautics, energy and automotive.
The project, which started in November 2020 and continue to 2023, has a consortium of 25 partners from 11 European countries. It is led by the Ideko Research Centre in the Basque Country.
Top companies such as Renault, Gamesa Energy Transmission and ITP are among the project’s partners. InterQ has a budget of €11 million, €9 million of which will be financed by the EU through the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
Manufacturing companies routinely capture feedback from operators at their workshops in the form of video, audio or text which has huge potential value to improve manufacturing processes.
As part of its role in InterQ, CeADAR is developing a Text Analytics solution using Machine Learning to process and understand feedback provided by operators in manufacturing settings.
Currently, a large volume of data is generated by manufacturing operations but, without adequate processing and management technologies, it is not possible to produce accurate, reliable, secure, and relevant information to optimise the efficiency and quality of industrial processes.
Jokin Muñoa, coordinator of the InterQ project, said: “The InterQ platform seeks a response to this problem. It is a solution focused on data processing for the optimisation of zero-defect manufacturing processes, so that quality can be traced along the entire value chain. For the participating machine manufacturers, this project represents a great opportunity both for the digital development of machines and processes through the search for full control of the quality of the final part.”
Dr. Ricardo Simon Carbajo, Head of Innovation & Development at CeADAR, is working with Dr.Cristian Bosch-Serrano, Data Scientist at CeADAR, to apply the latest Machine Learning techniques to model workers’ feedback collected from different sources in factories.
Dr. Ricardo Simon Carbajo said: “Augmenting the predictive analysis of sensor data with insights from operators of machinery in factories is key to improve the quality of the manufacturing process and product. CeADAR is developing AI solutions using Natural Language Processing to understand feedback provided by factory workers, incorporating human expertise to the InterQ framework for zero-defect manufacturing.”
InterQ’s digital platform will be divided into five modules that will enable integrated quality management of manufacturing processes. These are:
- InterQ-Processfocused on monitoring the quality of the manufacturing processes.
- InterQ-Product which will control product quality.
- InterQ-Datawhich will be in charge of evaluating the quality of the controlled data.
- InterQ-ZeroDefectwhich will improve manufacturing quality through the application of artificial intelligence fed with reliable and relevant data.
- InterQ-TrustedFramework which will ensure full traceability of the product aimed at different parts of the value chain through the application of distributed ledger technology.
