Production Line Quality Control for Energy Waste Reduction

Solution Overview

Problem

In production processes involving multiple operating units, non-conforming articles are often subjected to unnecessary processing, leading to energy waste, material dispersion, and potential damage to equipment, especially in continuous high-speed operations, due to late-quality control and the need for extensive discard stations.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method where articles are controlled for quality immediately after critical processing steps, identifying non-conforming articles and selectively disabling downstream units to prevent further processing, allowing conforming articles to continue through the production line without unnecessary operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If quality control is performed late in the production process, then conforming articles can be processed through all operating units, but non-conforming articles undergo unnecessary processing leading to energy waste and material dispersion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequality control timingVSAvoidenergy waste from unnecessary processing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing quality control immediately after critical processing steps rather than at the end of the production line. Detection devices are positioned to identify non-conforming articles early, allowing the system to prevent further processing of defective articles before they consume additional energy and materials in subsequent operating units.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback control by using detection devices to monitor article quality in real-time during the production process. When non-conforming articles are detected, the system provides feedback signals to selectively disable downstream operating units, creating a closed-loop control system that continuously optimizes energy usage based on actual product quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If quality control is performed late in the production process, then conforming articles can be processed through all operating units, but non-conforming articles cause material dispersion and potential damage to equipment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequality control timingVSAvoidmaterial dispersion and equipment damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing quality control immediately after critical processing steps rather than at the end of the production line. Detection devices are positioned to identify non-conforming articles early, allowing the system to prevent further processing of defective articles before they consume additional energy and materials in subsequent operating units.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary anti-action by implementing protective measures before harmful effects occur. When non-conforming articles are detected early in the process, the system proactively disables downstream operating units to prevent the potential material dispersion and equipment damage that would result from continuing to process defective articles through the remaining production steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Manufacturing precision

If extensive discard stations are implemented to remove non-conforming articles, then quality standards are maintained, but production disruptions and workflow interruptions increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequality standards complianceVSAvoidproduction workflow continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the extraction principle by removing non-conforming articles from the production stream immediately after detection, rather than allowing them to proceed through the entire production line to a centralized discard station. This early extraction of defective articles prevents production disruptions and maintains workflow continuity in downstream operating units.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing quality control immediately after critical processing steps rather than at the end of the production line. Detection devices are positioned to identify non-conforming articles early, allowing the system to prevent further processing of defective articles before they consume additional energy and materials in subsequent operating units.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20230312154A1Control method in a production process for articles and a production apparatus for articles operating according to this method

Publication Date: 2023.10.05 GD SPA

AI summary

A method for controlling a production process for articles includes: feeding a plurality of articles to a first operating unit where the articles are subjected to a first processing operation; controlling at least one characteristic of the articles outgoing from the first operating unit; identifying among the outgoing articles a first group and a second group of articles, in which the at least one characteristic is respectively in accordance or not with predetermined quality parameters; transferring the articles outgoing from the first operating unit to at least one second operating unit, where the articles are subjected to at least one second processing operation; allowing the at least one second operating unit to perform the at least one second processing operation on the first group of articles; receiving the articles outgoing from the at least one second operating unit, and then discarding the second group of articles.