Hankook is introducing an automatic AI-supported quality control system using digital sensors for improved efficiency and accuracy of product testing.
The Hankook internal inspection with the Interferometer Tire Tester (ITT) will check the tire for air bubbles. An X-ray inspection will also be carried out to examine the inside of the tire in detail, followed by a final external inspection by the quality control department.
Until now, image processing for defect detection has been time-consuming and challenging because identified air bubbles are not identical in size and shape. In addition, technicians have had to give their opinion on the detection of irregularities based on criteria and their expertise gained through years of experience.
The computer-driven inspection body will independently and systematically detect and report irregularities in the products by comparing samples of the scanned product cross-sections. At the HK-KAIST Digital Innovation Center (pictured), the joint venture of Hankook and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), development was carried out with AI experts to implement the AI system. This will not only increase the uniformity and efficiency of internal inspection with the ITT process, but also reduce production time.
