1. Nameplate Inspection System May03-07 Team MemberEstimated Effort Ben Weatherman175 hours Jacob Powell175 hours Paul Slifka185 hours Dejan Leginovic190 hours Total725 hours Metalcraft, Inc of Mason City desires a system that will inspect nameplates for defects. The system must mechanically separate the plates from each other, inspect each one for defects, restack the correctly manufactured nameplates and inform user of any defects. The nameplates to be inspected have an adhesive backing on them that causes glue residue on the sides of the plate, resulting in the plates sticking together and interfering with the individual inspection of the plates. Abstract The invaluable technical advice as well as the equipment needed for the final system will be provided by MetalCraft, Inc. They have extensive knowledge of the nameplates as well experience in building various systems to support their manufacturing process. Acknowledgements General Background Metalcraft currently uses costly manual inspection of nameplates which does not ensure consistency in products Nameplates must be inspected to ensure proper sequencing, position of printed items, missing or erroneous print and any other anomalies A visual nameplate inspection system will be designed to automate the inspection process and guarantee high quality nameplates Technical Problem Separate nameplates from each other Consistently deliver a single plate to the vision system Inspect plates for defects in sequence, positioning and print quality Inform operator of results so that defective plates can be reprinted and put in the proper sequence Operating Environment Relatively clean space which aids visual inspection Intended Users and Uses Metalcraft, Inc. and its employees shall use the system to inspect various quantities and sizes of nameplates Assumptions The entire system is first concerned with separating the plates and then inspecting them for defects There is limited space for modifications of the current machinery Limitations There is a limited amount of time to work on the project Travel distance will limit the amount of face to face contact with the client The project must be completed within the client’s budget Changes to manufacturing processes cannot be made Introduction Personnel Effort The problem will be divided into two sub-problems: The mechanical system will concentrate on separating plates and delivering them to the vision system The vision system will focus on the inspection of the plates for quality assurance Technical Approach The two systems will be tested separately Mechanical system prototype will be used to assure correct operation and separation of nameplates Subset of nameplates will be presented to the vision system to verify defect detection and compared against manual inspection results Testing Approach Design Objectives Inspect a large amount of plates without causing delays in the current manufacturing process Process different thicknesses and dimensions of nameplates without being affected by adhesives System integrates with existing machinery Functional Requirements Must not damage plates during separation The system must be programmable to handle different quantities and dimensions of plates Vision system can keep pace with the changing manufacturing needs Design Constraints The system will require little user intervention and assure the quality of the nameplates The client will determine an appropriate size and cost for the system The system will not compromise the safety of the operator Measurable Milestones Project documentation Mechanical system design Vision system design Mechanical system creation Vision system creation Inspection system integration Design Requirements The mechanical system shall be able to transfer nameplates of various sizes one at a time to the vision system where the nameplate will then be inspected for defects and abnormalities. Rejected plates will be reported to the operator. The inspection system will be programmable from a PC and able to operate with minimal attendance from the user. End-Product Description Financial Budget The financial resources this project will be donated by Metalcraft, Inc. either through monetary contributions or the donation of necessary parts. Team Members Ben Weathermanbennyw@iastate.edu Jacob Powelljacob_powell@yahoo.com Paul Slifkapslifka@iastate.edu Dejan Leginovicdejanl@iastate.edu Faculty Advisors John Lamontjwlamont@iastate.edu Ralph E. Patterson, IIIrepiii@iastate.edu Client