In today’s technologically advanced age, innovations are happening all the time. Whether it’s in increasing the capabilities of technology,expanding the horizons of study and manufacturing, or using this technology to improve the efficiency and precision of existing processes, technology is always striving to make an aspect of life quicker, easier, and more reliable.
This couldn’t be more true when it comes to manufacturing, as the pressure is always on for companies to have the best tools available at their disposal.
If the technology you use as a company is allowed to degrade so that it no longer functions properly or gives up entirely, there is no amount of manpower that can stop your business from falling behind the competition in a whole host of areas.
This is just part of the reason why the vast majority of product manufacturers now employ highly-capable technology in their quality control processes, with the latest hardware working in tandem with modern, high-tech applications and software that can optimise the machinery way beyond the limits of human ingenuity.
Read on to find out more about why software and technology are so important when it comes to quality control.
Automation
The birth of automation in industrial processes saw a fundamental change in the capabilities of companies to mass-produce – a famous example is the invention of mass production lines and textile machinery that defined the industrial revolution of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Of course, there were no computer applications or software solutions for automation in those times, as hardware performed the necessary, limited functions. Quality control was an entirely human process.
The scope and scale of automation today are absolutely comprehensive, with everything from product research to large-scale manufacturing of complex products possible in an autonomous manner, encapsulating the quality control process too.
For example, X-ray diffraction, such as those produced by Malvern Panalytical, used to detect particle sizes in construction and cosmetic products, uses software to complete this process automatically.
High precision
While humans are capable of incredible feats of manufacturing and engineering, they will always be human – meaning there is always a margin for error in completing tasks, which can be especially problematic in quality control settings.
Apps and software are utilized alongside highly capable machinery to complete quality control processes at precision levels that would not be possible for humans to achieve. This is especially important in pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturing settings, where measurement needs to be accurate down to nanometer scales.
With scanning and measurement devices used in quality control now powered by software and often connected to the Internet of Things, these devices can work automatically in tandem to achieve exact measurements.
Innovation
Software and applications are a huge factor in innovating quality control processes, as they are able to collect and analyze millions of data points that could present ways in which processes could be optimized further, as well as places where the processes are excelling in performance.
Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning techniques can be used to create algorithms using these data sets that further increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of quality control processes.