Vista SolutionsCase study · Machine Vision
Body Shop Machine Vision Inspection
Programming, commissioning, and supporting every vision camera in a GM body shop.
- My role
- Machine Vision Engineering Technician
- Timeframe
- Vista Solutions Inc. · Aug 2021 – May 2022
- Team / context
- GM body shop, via Vista Solutions Inc., Windsor, ON, Canada
- Tech stack
- Matrox Design Assistant · Blob analysis · Model Finder · Edge detection · Cimplicity SCADA · Commissioning · Quality inspection
01
Overview
At Vista Solutions I programmed, installed, commissioned, and supported all of the vision cameras in a GM body shop using Matrox Design Assistant. They inspected sealer, adhesive, and welds, and verified vehicle options.
Each inspection was built from Matrox vision tools such as blob analysis, Model Finder, and edge detection. I performed vision system audits to the customer's standards, and I monitored and resolved vision alarms across the body shop by reviewing downtime reports and live alarms in the Cimplicity SCADA system.
I also trained the plant's skilled trades to respond to vision alarms, troubleshoot, and fine-tune the vision software, and I attended plant engineering meetings to give status updates and address open issues.
02
The problem & objective
Sealer, adhesive, and weld quality in a body shop needs to be checked reliably, and the vision systems doing it need people who can support them.
With cameras throughout the body shop, vision alarms also had to be caught and resolved quickly so they didn't hold up production.
03
My role & responsibilities
Machine Vision Engineering Technician. Delivered as part of my role as Machine Vision Engineering Technician at Vista Solutions Inc..
- Program all vision cameras in the body shop in Matrox Design Assistant
- Install and commission the cameras at the customer's site
- Perform vision system audits to the customer's standards
- Monitor and resolve vision alarms using downtime reports and live alarms in Cimplicity
- Train the plant's skilled trades to respond to alarms, troubleshoot, and fine-tune the vision software
- Give status updates and address open issues in plant engineering meetings
04
Approach & process
Program the inspections
Sealer, adhesive, weld, and options-verification inspections in Matrox Design Assistant, using blob tools, Model Finder, and edge detectors.
Commission on the line
Install each camera and bring it into service in the body shop.
Audit to the standard
Perform vision system audits to confirm each inspection meets the customer's standards.
Watch the alarms
Review downtime reports and live alarms in Cimplicity to find and resolve vision issues across the body shop.
Transfer knowledge
Train the plant's skilled trades to respond to vision alarms, troubleshoot, and fine-tune the software.
05
Key features & deliverables
Vision inspections
Sealer, adhesive, weld, and options-verification inspection across the body shop.
Vision system audits
Audits performed to the customer's standards.
Alarm monitoring
Vision alarms monitored and resolved using downtime reports and live SCADA alarms.
Trained skilled trades
Plant staff able to respond to alarms, troubleshoot, and fine-tune the cameras.
06
Challenges & how I solved them
| Challenge | How I solved it |
|---|---|
| Systems need to outlast the engineer who set them up | I trained the plant's skilled trades to troubleshoot and fine-tune the cameras themselves. |
| Vision alarms across an entire body shop | I combined downtime reports with live alarms in the Cimplicity SCADA system to find and resolve vision-related issues. |
07
Results & impact
- All vision cameras in a GM body shop programmed, commissioned, and supported
- Vision system audits performed to the customer's standards
- Vision alarms monitored and resolved across the body shop
- Plant skilled trades trained to troubleshoot and fine-tune the cameras
08
Skills demonstrated & lessons learned
Skills demonstrated: Machine vision · Matrox Design Assistant · Commissioning · Vision audits · SCADA (Cimplicity) · Training
Training is part of commissioning. A system the plant can't support isn't finished.
Get in touch
Let's work together
I'm open to Controls Engineer, Automation Engineer, Software Engineer, and Full-Stack Developer roles, remote or on-site. If you're building something where automation and software meet, I'd like to hear about it.
elshark.atef@gmail.com