Swiss firm Uster launches Fabriq Assistant online tool

Uster’s latest innovation in the field of fabric inspection is an online tool giving a user-friendly summary of quality performance data from every fabric roll inspected in the mill. A range of statistical analysis tools highlight key info through various charts, histograms or trend diagrams. With the new Uster Fabriq Assistant, there is no need to toil over manual data. It’s all automated, so decision-making is simpler and much faster for fabric manufacturers.

Fabriq Assistant introduces three value modules. AI Classification is at the heart of the system, delivering levels of accuracy and performance that human operators could never match. The Artificial Intelligence attaches codes to each image generated by the Uster Fabriq Vision products. Without this AI Classification, mill personnel would have to spend time and effort inserting codes to each defect at a PC, to carry out a data review. Artificial Intelligence means data classification is fully automated, so producers can save over 80 per cent of the time taken by manual methods.

With Fabriq Assistant, old-fashioned manual data collection and analysis are consigned to history. Fabriq Assistant automatically gathers all the information from connected Uster fabric inspection systems – and applies smart analysis principles to calculate the most meaningful results. The Quality Reporting value module lets managers focus on the most important decisions, based on the guaranteed accuracy of advanced technology.

Fabriq Assistant unites all the data from AI Classification and Quality Reporting. Combining classified details of defects with smart analysis of inspection data gives producers a valuable advantage: Fabriq Assistant not only gives alerts of issues, it also goes a stage further by both describing and locating a problem. This is the knowledge required to enable continuous and systematic improvements to be made, the company said in a press release.

Combining data from AI classification and Quality Reporting unleashes the full power of the value modules. The real impact comes from meaningful data which is automatically analysed.

“Using the synergies from AI classification and Quality Reporting maximises the business value for all stakeholders in the production and the quality department,” said Michelle Salg, product manager fabric inspection at Uster Technologies.

Fabriq Assistant cuts down the unnecessary workload on managers, allowing them to focus on steering profitable production. The third value module, Central Management, makes this benefit clear, as all the required data is presented on a unified platform at the manager’s desk, in a real time-saving benefit. It means there is no need to check for machine alarms or identify finished rolls. Fabric inspection info for all connected Uster systems is readily available at this central platform.

“We have customers who produce thousands of metres of fabric daily. Imagine the difference the Central Management or Fabriq Assistant with its full capability makes for them,” said Salg. “It’s not only about managing a large number of machines but also controlling the quality of the whole production.”

The dashboard on the manager’s screen shows the number of defects, ongoing articles and orders, start and end time of rolls, and downtime, at a glance.

Data from fabric inspection builds a reliable picture, as a sound basis for decisions. Cutting-edge hardware can be seamlessly integrated into production – at line running speeds up to 1,000 metres per minute – for consistent and efficient defect detection. After that Uster Fabriq Assistant takes over.

Automation also allows users to customise their experience in a highly flexible way, to suit their own mill organisation, thanks to the smart machine learning technology in Fabriq Assistant. For fabric producers it’s an indispensable route to greater efficiency and productivity.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)