E-Quality for Manufacturing (EQM) Within the Framework of Internet-Based Systems

The current trends in industry include an integration of information and knowledge base networks with a manufacturing system, which coined a new term, e-manufacturing. From the perspective of e-manufacturing, any production equipment and its control functions do not exist alone, instead becoming a part of the holistic operation system with distant monitoring, remote quality control, and fault diagnostic capabilities. The key to this new paradigm is the accessibility to a remotely located system and having the means of responding to a rapidly changing environment. In this context, this correspondence presents innovative methods in remote part tracking and quality control using the Ethernet SmartImage Sensor and the Internet controllable Yamaha SCARA robot. Remote control of an automation process using the Internet can suffer from a time lag, if the network is congested with heavy data traffic, which may be the greatest hurdle for using the Internet for real-time control. The approach discussed in this correspondence overcomes the time lag and mathematically calculates the part locations on the conveyor at various instances and efficiently guides the robot to the product. The accuracy of the proposed scheme has been verified, and subsequent quality control functions have been integrated, which vindicate the industrial applicability of the setup. The Internet-based manufacturing operations present many benefits, such as ubiquitous access, remote control/programming/monitoring capabilities, and integration of production equipment into information networks for improved efficiency and enhanced product quality.