https://player.vimeo.com/video/670136295

Sensor Tool:

Using more recyclates as feedstock in polymer processing often leads to challenges and an increased scrap rate. In some cases these challenges can be tackled by changing process parameters, but in others, the only solution is to monitor the process and sort out the affected parts. The sensor tool helps to identify which sensor is most suitable to monitor a specific process and problem which makes it possible to use more recyclates and still meet quality standards.

Type of tool: web application

Short description of the tool:

The intuitive web frontend guides you through a series of questions with drop-downs and suggests a suitable sensor as a result. First, the affected process has to be selected, second the occurring problem is picked and third, a possible cause for the problem is identified. As a result of answering the questions, the tool offers suitable surveillance parameters and sensors to help with the quality assurance of the specific problem.

Required skills:

- Knowledge of process parameters

- Knowledge of material properties

- no programing or data science knowledge needed

Required programs
- none


Disclaimer:

Disclaimer of Warranty: There is no warranty for the program, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Except when otherwise stated in writing the copyright holders and/or other parties provide the program “as is” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the program is with you. should the program prove defective, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction.

Limitation of Liability: In no event unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing will any copyright holder, or any other party who modifies and/or conveys the program as permitted above, be liable to you for damages, including any general, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the program (including but not limited to loss of data or data being rendered inaccurate or losses sustained by you or third parties or a failure of the program to operate with any other programs), even if such holder or other party has been advised of the possibility of such damages.


This tool supports you to:

- Identify sensors for quality assurancewithin a polymer processing step

- purchase and implement these sensors by giving suggestions of manufactures that provide these sensors


Example use case:
While using recycled plastics in your process you encounter unexpected rough surfaces on your parts that show up only from time to time. Since you cannot eliminate the problem you need a suitable sensor to detect and sort out the bad parts. The tool will help you in this case to select a suitable sensor. In this case either a camera or roughness sensor to sort out the parts or, depending on the cause for the problem even a spectroscopic sensor to detect low molecular impurities that alter the surface.


Tool guideline and access:

- ⚠️ Before you get started, take a look at the guidelines(info) and make yourself familiar with how to use the tool. You can access the tool directly here:

Sensor Tool

If you are interested in the underlying code, you can access the tool here:

Sensor Tool Code.

Description of the problem the tools solves:

There are usually two kinds of process or product quality problems. The ones you can solve by changing process parameters and the ones that show up rather random wih no visible link to process or material parameters. For the later the only solution is to monitor those problems and sort out the affected parts. For this purpose the tool helps to select suitable sensors for a wide range of problems in different processes.

 

Contact person of the tool: Christoph Kugler mailto:c.kugler@skz.de  


Related tools:

Before applying this tool:
We recommend also taking a look at the following Di-Plast tools below. They can help you to gather necessary information and data, help to better prepare your data and continue working with it afterwards:

--> Improve internal information and material flow -> VSM
--> Get guidance to set up a working data infrastructure -> Data Infrastructure Wiki
--> Validate your process data -> Data Validation

After applying this tool:
--> Get important insights in enhancing your data understanding -> Exploratory Pattern Analytics
--> Match material requirements with material properties -> Matrix