Manufacturing Technology

San Shing Fastech Corp, a fastener manufacturer with 58 years of experience, has announced the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its self-developed optical sorting machines.

San Shing has been investing in AI for over two years, and this year, with the maturity of AI technology, the company has started testing AI in practical production. “Under the quality requirement of zero defects per million for automotive fasteners, Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) has become an essential inspection process. Through testing, we have discovered a numbers of positive effects,” explains San Shing.

One of the main positives from AI is the improved convenience and reduced reliance on manual labour. By defining only the defective features, AI can automatically perform the optimal configuration by logging good and defective products into separate folders or selecting the defective features. This eliminates the need for tedious parameter settings and repetitive pre-production tests. It also simplifies the machine configuration process and reduces the operating time for personnel.

Another positive is the enhanced stability in inspections, allowing for slight deformations and contamination of fasteners. “Fastener products are often subject to deformations and may contain oil or dust due to processes like forging. In traditional Designed Rule Check (DRC) methods, there is a risk of false rejections leading to waste when inspecting fastener images. However, AI has demonstrated the ability to identify the features of good and defective products, making it more suitable for inspecting fasteners with slight variations in appearance and optical environments affected by oil contamination.”

Currently, the final testing of AI is underway at San Shing’s sorting facility. In addition to the sorting machines, San Shing has also updated its in-house nut former, and tapping machine, to meet Industry 4.0 and the latest CE safety requirements.