Quality control is at the heart of good manufacturing, as inferior goods tend to result in sunk costs at best and disgruntled or unsatisfied customers at worst. In the past, most quality control work has occurred after the fact, with finished goods being inspected in batches to ensure they meet certain standards. However, this approach has several drawbacks. For instance, should a quality defect result from a faulty production process, it may affect an entire batch of finished goods, meaning that they may all need to be disposed of so that the line can be run again.
Luckily, changes in technology are trending away from inspection after that fact and toward real-time, continuous quality assurance methodologies, which allow such prospects to be avoided. In addition to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms to size up production output in real time or even predict issues in advance, more sophisticated sensors also play a large role by providing the necessary input data.
Among the many metrics that manufacturers may track—particularly in process industries such as food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceuticals, or pulp and paper—is moisture. Limiting excess moisture is vital, not only to meet certain regulatory standards, but to ensure proper chemical reactions and drying for pharmaceuticals, as well as maximizing shelf life and deterring mold in the food and beverage space.
“Whether manufacturers are mixing, blending, homogenizing, or drying, non-contact, smart inline technology enables the rapid, automatic measuring of moisture in 100% of product or inputs, along with the ability to instantly fine-tune the process. This can optimize quality as well as minimize waste and corrective re-processing,” said John Bogart, managing director of Kett, a manufacturer of moisture and organic composition analyzers.
Kett provides smart sensors capable of calculating moisture quickly using onboard computing power, a capability made possible by the ever-expanding amount of capacity being packed into ever-smaller microprocessors. Kett’s sensors are also capable of transmitting data in real-time to smart phones, PCs, and other devices even if they are not connected to a plant’s network architecture. In addition, these sensors can automatically send alerts to notify operators when certain parameters and limit conditions have been surpassed. Moreover, storing this data can allow for the tracking of historical performance trends, cyclical rhythms, and periodic failures, helping plant personnel move from a reactive to a proactive approach.
