MUPROD | Innovative proactive Quality Control system for in-process multi-stage defect reduction

This project aims to develop an innovative quality control system that will drastically change the current concept of end of line quality control, going beyond currently established methodologies such as six-sigma and SPC. Industry is demanding solutions to avoid end of line failures. Solutions that are able to predict defects before they are generated and solutions that immediately react and act over the generated defects when they are detected without having to wait until the final stage of the manufacturing chain. Industry has to face manufacturing targets that are even more challenging when they have to deal with new complex products of bigger/smaller size or made of new materials and with more severe quality requirements. To this purpose, industry is demanding new flexible technological solutions to enable the on-line inspection of such products. This quality control system will prevent the generation of defects within the process at single stage and the propagation of defects between processes at multi-stage system level. This quality control system will be proactive, offering three different solution strategies to avoid end of line defects - (i) The elimination of the predicted defect through adjustment of process characteristics by proactively intervening on the inputs to the process (process parameters, etc.). (ii) The on-line reworking of the product in order to eliminate the defect. (iii) The on-line workpiece repair through defect elimination at consecutive process stages. The development of this proactive quality control system will be based on the design and development of new hardware technologies, techniques and software solutions that in turn are based on real-time multi-data gathering by the integration of new sensor and inspection equipment, development of intelligent actuators and the development of new monitoring and prognosis knowledge-based models. With the aim of developing a universal system that can be integrated into different production processes - feasibility will be demonstrated in machining and assembly processes at both macro and micro product scales. Application domains will include emerging strategic European sectors such as the production of electrical engines for sustainable mobility (a raise of 1020% in production of motors for electrified power-train is foreseen for the next 7 years), large-part manufacturing for the wind power sector (between years 2000 and 2005 there was a 217% increase in wind power generation in the EU-27) and the production of customized micro-intravascular catheters as high value medical products for the ageing society (medical technology sales in Europe amounted to €72.6 Billion in 2007).