Image processing with AI helps create high-quality flooring

Image processing automation with artificial intelligence is used to inspect the glue joints of multilayer parquet flooring using an all-in-one system for the use of intelligent cameras. Scheucher Holzindustrie GmbH from Mettersdorf in Austria manufactures parquet floors.

Ensuring durability and precision in multi-layer parquet flooring

Not all parquet floors are the same. In addition to solid variants, multi-layer parquet is particularly popular. Several aspects must be taken into account during its manufacture in order to obtain a high-quality, durable and user-friendly product. The choice of wood species, for example, influences the stability and appearance of the parquet. As the name suggests, it consists of several layers – in particular a core layer and a wear layer. Scheucher uses spruce or pine as backing. A variety of wood species can be chosen for the wear layer.

Structure of a 3-layer finished parquet for floating installation or full surface gluing with click system.

One benefit of “prefinished parquet” is its ease of installation. Many types can be laid as a floating floor, so do not need to be glued down. With a little manual skill, even inexperienced people can install their own wooden floor. A click system ensures the exact fit of the planks. They are simply clicked directly into each other. This saves time and minimizes effort. It is important that the click system is milled with high precision so that the panels interlock stably and precisely. Incorrect milling can cause issues during installation and lead to instability. The same applies to the adhesive bond between the core layer and the wear layer of the parquet. The adhesive must be applied evenly to ensure complete coverage and a uniform bond between the layers. Air inclusions or irregular application quantities can lead to cavities and impair the durability. “In the profiling for our MULTIflor parquet floors, a special click profile is milled into the planks. During this process, two intelligent IDS NXT cameras are used to check the presence of adhesive in the adhesive joint between the core and the backing layer,” explains Dipl.-Ing. Klaus Bauer, research & development at Scheucher.

The individual panels fit together stably and precisely.

Intelligent quality control without a PC

Scheucher uses UV light to highlight the glued parquet planks. The adhesive fluoresces and adhesive residues become visible. Scheucher relies on image processing with artificial intelligence to detect faulty floorboards. Two IDS NXT rio cameras are used per system. The models are enhanced by a neural network, enabling powerful inference capabilities. They detect the fluorescent adhesive joints and process the image data directly “on the edge” via FPGA and pass the result on to the downstream process. The embedded solution makes the host PC redundant and reduces energy consumption and system costs. With screwable, IP-protected connectors and a durable housing, they are suitable for industrial use. The standardized OPC UA industrial protocol enables direct communication with machines and control systems.

IDS NXT rio camera detects faulty glue joints between parquet layers.

Image processing with AI without prior knowledge of deep learning

Application development and integration into the parquet manufacturer’s existing production system was quick and easy with the help of the IDS NXT rio Experience Kit. The inference camera solution for AI applications in industrial image processing includes all the components required for creating, training, and deploying a neural network. The package includes the required hardware – in the form of an IDS NXT rio industrial camera with 1.6 MP Sony color sensor including power and data cable, tripod adapter and lens – as well as the required software in the form of an IDS lighthouse license. This allows users to focus on the application without needing to handle deep learning, image processing or camera programming.

“In our profiling system we had not used any image processing, neither rule-based nor intelligent, for the quality control of our bonded joints until now. Nevertheless, it was our goal, even as a layman, to solve this requirement using AI. As we are looking for errors that only occur extremely rarely, our challenge was to find a sufficient number of “bad partial images” to train the neural network,” explains Bauer. “And we succeeded. In the end, we needed around 60 good and bad part samples before the AI had learnt to recognize the threshold between OK and NOT OK.” Faulty panels can be reliably sorted out and reworked. The system prevents planks with defects in the parquet bonding from being delivered to customers. “This makes us one of the few manufacturers on the market to achieve a 100% inspection in this regard,” says Bauer. Especially as it takes less than 90 milliseconds to check a floorboard.

OK and NOK panels – The bad part shows a presumably insufficient bonding in the right third.

Adopting AI for Efficient, Scalable Production

In this example, the inspection of the glued joint could also be solved using classic, rule-based image processing, though with increased programming effort. However, it was important to Scheucher to find an intelligent solution. This means that the company is prepared for further applications, as Klaus Bauer emphasizes: “The task was a good introduction to AI-supported image processing for us. Especially because the learning curve was quick.” This paves the way for further applications and future-proof, efficient production.

 Intelligent image processing systems can classify objects and check for defects, deviations, and quality issues, reducing errors and increasing productivity across various industries. The AI-based all-in-one vision system from IDS shows that this is not highly complex and reserved purely for experts. Scheucher Parquet and IDS NXT share a common feature: Their user-friendly systems enable even non-professionals to achieve excellent results, such as the high-quality parquet shown here.

Camera

The IDS NXT rio Experience Kit is the complete inference camera solution for AI applications in industrial image processing.

Model used: IDS NXT rio

Camera family: IDS NXT

Client

With one of the most advanced prefinished parquet factories in Europe, Scheucher has developed into one of the leading parquet manufacturers in Austria over the last few decades. The optimal utilization of resources, as well as the exclusive use of environmentally friendly methods and pollutant-tested materials in every single production step are among the principles of Scheucher Holzindustrie GmbH and ensure high-quality products 100% manufactured in Austria.

For more information about Scheucher, visit scheucherparkett.at.

Image rights: Scheucher Holzindustrie GmbH

© 2024 IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH

Edited by Puja Mitra, WTWH Media, for Control Engineering, from a IDS Imaging news release.