“ZDZW – Zero Defect Zero Waste” is a project funded by the European Union, that aims to develop, integrate, and promote innovative, IoT-based NDI (Non-Destructive Inspection) services for process monitoring and control. Inspection solutions developed within ZDZW are offered in various inspection applications, enabling the assessment of product integrity, inspection of visual and geometric properties, as well as the monitoring and control of thermal processes.
The proposed inspection services are designed to meet the requirements of demanding industrial processes, improve product quality, and make a significant contribution to conserving processed resources while increasing production process efficiency: extending the lifecycle of components with high durability requirements.
The innovative system for inline detection of geometric defects developed by Fraunhofer IGD, enables highly precise quality control directly in the production process. By comparing a known reference model with the manufactured object, the smallest deviations are reliably detected – even in large-scale components. CAD models or previously recorded IO parts can serve as references. The system can compensate for geometric deformations, such as those caused by gravitational influences, without compromising the detection of actual defects. Thanks to the automated virtual alignment of the target object and reference, no special handling is required.
The system reliably identifies various types of geometric defects, including cracks, dents, or faulty stampings. Since it operates with a virtual reference, an extensive training phase is not required, making the process particularly suitable for industries with high product variety. Additionally, the system can handle global deformations caused by handling or gravity, making it particularly well-suited for inspecting large plastic components. The hardware is flexibly scalable and can be adapted to different object sizes and production speeds.
As part of the EU-funded project Zero Defect Zero Waste, a prototype of the system is currently being tested at Beko to monitor the quality of refrigerator inner bodies. Inspection is carried out using the Ensenso C57 3D camera and takes only about four seconds. Despite an object size of approximately one meter, defects as small as three millimeters can be precisely detected – demonstrating the system’s high measurement accuracy.
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The Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD supports companies in analyzing specific application cases and offers customized solutions for efficient quality control.
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