Leveraging IoT for Superior Quality Control in Manufacturing

Tight quality control in manufacturing has been a consistent aim for generations. Failing to spot flaws before products leave a factory and reach the wider market could lead to recalls, customer dissatisfaction, and other issues that negatively impact a company’s profitability.

However, applying the Internet of Things (IoT) in manufacturing is an increasingly popular way to get the visibility needed to maintain high-quality output. Here are some actionable ways decision-makers can and do use the IoT for manufacturing to achieve better oversight.

Determine How to Catch Problems Faster

Quality control professionals quickly learn how beneficial efficiency can be for keeping standards levels high. For example, detecting an issue during the first step of a manufacturing process makes the problem much simpler to mitigate than if someone discovers it during the final production stage.

It’s even more devastating if the mishap occurs once a product leaves the manufacturing facility, such as if a truck driver keeps perishable items outside the acceptable range for too long. That’s why many pharmaceutical manufacturers use the IoT to protect the cold chain, such as by installing sensors that provide real-time alerts.

If people in several stages of the supply chain get immediate warnings of problems, there’s virtually no chance of freshly produced medicines spoiling before they reach their destinations. Similarly, the IoT could detect if a factory’s machines are misaligned or otherwise not meeting quality control standards.

When people want to capitalize on quality control in manufacturing, some primary questions to answer relate to where and how most issues happen. From there, they can investigate practical ways to apply IoT tech to help.

Understand the Conditions Surrounding Catastrophic Failures

When a critical piece of manufacturing equipment breaks down, it often seems like the unwanted event happens out of nowhere. However, the reality is there are often telltale signs beforehand, even if humans don’t always pick up on them.

Statistics indicate that 56% of electrical generator failures  happen because of damaged electrical insulation. Overheating and abnormally high current draw are some things that can cause the insulation to break down. However, people may not realize that this issue usually happens slowly and in several phases.

Fortunately, the IoT could make people more aware of problematic machine symptoms before outages happen. For example, the second phase of electrical insulation failure causes increased heat at the primarily affected point. A sensor could pick up on it and trigger people to get the machine serviced before a production disruption occurs.

That advantage directly connects to quality. When machines perform as expected, there’s a greatly reduced chance of them contributing to flawed products.

Analyze Data to Find Process Shortcomings

People often rely on the IoT for manufacturing improvements by using sensor data to confirm what’s going well and where room for improvement exists. For example, leading manufacturers frequently use lean principles to pursue continuous improvement. The IoT can fit into those efforts.

Process and material-related issues cause 85% of quality problems. Since IoT sensors can collect ongoing data over time, they’re ideal for showing where procedures may break down and progress to issues that negatively impact the product. If quality improvement is one of a company’s main goals, real-time data collection can and should shape related decisions.

A close look at the information could show most issues emerge from a particular part of the assembly line or a certain machine. Alternatively, they might reveal a high percentage of mishaps associated with workers on a specific shift.

On the other hand, the IoT can confirm where a company excels, justifying the continuation of established ways of doing things throughout the factory. Keeping quality levels high is too important to leave up to guesswork or even a leader’s experience. Data collected from strategically placed sensors can provide the information leaders need to know to make confident decisions.

In one example, Nissan built a smart factory that featured various process improvement strategies and intelligent technologies. Previously, mounting powertrain components was a manual six-part process. Now robots can complete this process in a single step. Plus, the automated assembly line can produce more than two dozen vehicle versions. A quality assurance system featuring artificial intelligence and the IoT also increases the speed of recovering from an incident by 30%.

Use the IoT for Tool Tracking at a Plant

Applying the IoT for manufacturing quality control can also extend to overseeing what people need to do their jobs. Safran Aircraft Services, which manufactures various airplane components, can track tools within 3 meters by using an IoT solution. Besides telling managers where an asset is at any given time, this approach ties into preventive maintenance, which can directly affect quality.

For example, a system and associated sensors might track the minutes in use versus idle for a tool. It could then generate an alert when the item has been used enough to need maintenance or replacement.

Similarly, such a setup could monitor for tool misuse that might adversely affect quality control efforts. If a person tries to use an asset without proper training, their attempts could harm the factory’s output and eventually jeopardize its reputation.

Some IoT tool-tracking technologies also help verify that a person uses the proper technique. By tracking things like acceleration and time-based statistics, embedded IoT sensors could show whether a person needs more training to ensure they meet minimum quality standards for using the tool.

It’s not always financially feasible to use IoT tracking on every tool. However, if decision-makers take the time to figure out which assets have the most significant effects on quality, that’s a good starting point.

The IoT Enhances Quality Control in Manufacturing

These are some of the many ways people could rely on the IoT in manufacturing to maintain high quality throughout a factory. Although it takes time to figure out the best ways to take advantage of what smart sensors can do and interpret the data they collect, putting in the effort often makes a company more resilient.