Characterisation and process qualitycontrol in foam production

Abstract: This project is about automating foam quality control. Its purpose is to construct an automated quality-control station that will characterise foam in line with a production line that non-technical persons can efficiently operate. Foam passes through the station on a purpose-built conveyor. A robot then moves a microscope over the foam to capture detailed close-up images. The characterisation is done in software by examining the foam’s pores and measuring it against a set of tweakable parameters. There were some problems in focusing the microscope, but testing resolved the focusing to be non-essential. A database is used with the quality control station to store and sort test data efficiently. The overall quality control station is a success and can characterise foam according to the project’s predefined goals.