Assembly/Fabrication Inspection with AI for Mining and Heavy Industries
Introduction
Precision in assembly and fabrication is mission-critical in mining and heavy industry operations. Seemingly minor assembly defects—such as misaligned bolts or missing cotter pins—can lead to equipment failure, safety incidents, and costly downtime.
NorrSpect, a leading Swedish AI technology company based in Umeå, developed NorrStudio to address these challenges. With proven deployments in demanding production environments, including with Volvo Cars and other major manufacturers, NorrStudio brings next-generation AI inspection capabilities into the core of industrial fabrication and assembly.
Operational Challenges in Assembly/Fabrication
Assembly-line environments in heavy industry face consistent issues, including:
Weld gap inconsistencies in hoppers, often missed in manual inspections.
Misplaced or loosely installed guard plates, compromising safety standards.
Misaligned bolts that may not meet torque specifications.
Missing cotter pins, creating high risk of mechanical failure.
Shafts that are off-center, causing wear or rotational imbalance.
Defects in motor fan blades, affecting ventilation and overheating risk.
Manual inspection in these environments is time-consuming, error-prone, and heavily dependent on operator expertise. Missed issues can lead to severe downstream consequences.
Solution: NorrStudio Deployed for Fabrication QA
NorrStudio integrates advanced AI and computer vision into the assembly workflow. It automates visual quality checks by analyzing video or image data from fixed or mobile cameras—flagging defects with precision, consistency, and speed.
Key AI Capabilities Applied
Weld Gap Detection
NorrStudio uses trained AI vision models to detect and measure welding gaps in real time. Variations beyond the specified tolerance range trigger alerts, ensuring early correction before structural failures occur.
Guard Plate Verification
AI models identify guard plate presence, positioning, and secure fitting, flagging any misplaced or missing covers that could pose safety risks.
Bolt Alignment Analysis
Bolts are checked for alignment, orientation, and presence. NorrStudio detects skewed or incompletely seated bolts, preventing mechanical stress or uneven load distribution.
Cotter Pin Detection
Using object recognition and spatial patterning, the system confirms the presence of cotter pins—alerting operators immediately when one is missing or incorrectly installed.
Shaft Centering Inspection
The system analyzes shaft positioning within millimeter tolerances. Any deviation in centering is flagged before rotational components are activated.
Motor Fan Blade Quality Assessment
AI-powered visual inspection checks fan blades for cracks, warps, or missing elements that could compromise airflow and motor integrity.
Business Impact
Metric | Before NorrStudio | After NorrStudio |
|---|---|---|
Assembly defect detection rate | ~78% | >98% |
Manual inspection time per unit | 8–10 minutes | Under 2 minutes |
Missed critical cotter pins per month | 5–7 | 0 |
Motor overheating incidents (fan blade issues) | 2–3 per quarter | Eliminated |
ROI | – | Achieved in < 8 months |
Why NorrSpect?
NorrSpect has built a reputation for delivering production-grade AI solutions that meet the demands of large-scale manufacturing environments. With its origins in the automotive industry and clients including Volvo Cars, the company brings proven AI inspection frameworks to high-stakes, high-precision industries.
NorrStudio is designed to operate in harsh industrial environments dust, vibration, inconsistent lighting and can be deployed with existing camera systems or through customized setups.
