Surface insight: Leveraging high-density dataset fusion for enhanced roughness classification

The ability to assess the surface quality quickly and accurately is of immense importance in manufacturing system. Modern metrology system along with machine learning is great at classification but requires more time. Traditionally accessing surface roughness is a time-consuming process. The progress in manufacturing technology necessitates improved approaches for quality control, specifically in the categorization of surface roughness, which has a substantial impact on the performance of materials. This research study introduces a novel method for classifying surface roughness by combining image data and point cloud data to create a comprehensive model. It then compares the performance of this model with a model that just relies on image data. A comprehensive analysis is conducted in this study, where image and point cloud data is collected and analysed. Multilinear principal component analysis (MPCA) along with random forest classifier is employed to create a model that classifies the surface texture. The primary goal is to showcase the enhanced precision and comprehensive understanding offered by the fused data model compared to the model that solely relies on images.

Furthermore, the work presents a pragmatic approach for developing this enhanced model offline and applying it online in real-time production environments, with a particular focus on using only image data. This strategy is in line with the objectives of Industry 4.0, which seeks to achieve more intelligent and data-driven manufacturing processes. Subsequent investigations will prioritize expanding the model’s suitability to various manufacturing settings, particularly highlighting its capacity to ensure quality in manufacturing lines through the utilization of images.