SICK Expands Nova Platform With AI-Powered 3D Inspection  

SICK, one of the world’s solutions providers for sensor-based applications in the industrial sector, has expanded its Nova platform with a new configurable AI-powered 3D inspection machine, bringing advanced AI capabilities to 3D inspection.

Combining AI with spatial understanding, AI-powered 3D image processing goes beyond conventional 3D imaging to include more advanced inspection functions, according to SICK. The machine is said to have an example-based approach, on-device training and a user-friendly interface. It is also said to unlock advanced quality-control applications that were previously difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional rule-based inspection, including package deforming inspection in sectors such as food & beverage and consumer goods, empty box or missing object detection in totes or matrix packaging for fulfilment and logistics operations, assembly verification and surface inspection for electronics and battery production, classification and tyre inspection, including 3D OCR, for automotive applications, and completeness checks in manufacturing.

Diego Quintana Tukasaki, Market Product Manager from SICK, stated: “For SICK, innovation is not a buzzword, it’s our driving force. […] Introducing neural network AI capabilities into our high performance Nova platform expands 3D inspection beyond its traditional limits. Seeing far beyond the human eye, it provides greater control over data and analytics to deliver highly accurate, configurable, easy-to-train, customised intelligent inspection solutions. Inspected items fulfil required quality and sorting demands, helping to improve yield, reduce waste and increase customer satisfaction, while problems with batches or production lines are swiftly identified with the anomaly heatmap.”