Micro-manufacturing requires 'Zero-Defect' oriented approaches, both in large scale and in short-run production. Current quality control approaches, coming from macro-manufacturing, are mainly based on post-process geometric control, which produces a large time lag between the defect generation and its detection, usually leading to large amount of defect parts (large scale) or wasted high value processing (short run). Moreover, this approach does not immediately point the error source to help with error correction, and other criteria such as material integrity, physical properties, surface topography and piece or component functionality are not taken into account typically.
There is clear need for extending the final product validation to a process monitoring approach in micro-manufacturing, where all the manufacturing process is monitored, from the raw material to the fabrication processes and the manipulation of the final parts, and where all this information is processed in real time with suitable models for error prediction, automatic detection and process optimization by system correction.
The project will give a global solution for the 'zero defect' approach in micro-manufacturing, with a focus on the aspects that are specific to micro-manufacturing. The develop technologies concepts are expected to have in impact in the competitiveness of the micro-manufacturers in the following ways:
- reducing process variability detecting defects as soon as they are generated or in the case that it is possible, are going to be generated by predicting models.
- allowing the use of less expensive machines, that can reduce their variability through monitoring.
- requiring less skilled working force, thanks to acquired process setting knowledge and the development of smart decision-making tools.