|
Audi is pushing forward with the digitalization of its production
activities. Following a successful pilot project, the brand with
the four rings has begun rolling out an artificial intelligence (AI)
system for quality-control of spot welds in car body construction.
The AI was developed and tested beforehand at the Neckarsulm
site. By the end of the year, the technical infrastructure for the
use of AI will be installed at three other Volkswagen Group
locations. The project also serves as a use case for the
Automotive Initiative 2025 (AI25) launched by Audi.
Using artificial intelligence, Audi analyzes around 1.5 million
spot welds on 300 vehicles each shift at its Neckarsulm site.
By comparison, until recently, production staff used ultrasound
to manually monitor the quality of resistance spot welding
(abbreviated WPS in German) processes based on random
analyses. With the ultrasound method, they checked around
5,000 spot welds per vehicle. By applying AI, employees
can now focus on possible anomalies. This new approach
will enable them to control quality more efficiently and in
a more targeted way.
Preparations for using the technology at other plants in
the Volkswagen Group have already begun. For example,
the technical infrastructure for AI use is currently being
installed at Audi Brussels. The Volkswagen plant in Emden
is scheduled to install the necessary infrastructure this
year, as will Audi’s headquarters in Ingolstadt. To install
the technical infrastructure at these locations, the team
of experts is currently identifying differences in weld
settings in order to retrain the AI model accordingly.
The data generated through use of the AI can be used
to optimize other processes in the future. As an example,
the Audi team is currently working on using the data as
a basis for predictive maintenance down the road.
“Digitalized assembly lines are a foundation for Audi’s
vision for the production of the future: As part of our
360factory production strategy, we will make production
at Audi locations worldwide even more efficient. In this
regard, the use of artificial intelligence in series production
promises huge potential,” says Gerd Walker, Audi Board
Member for Production and Logistics.
Close coordination with DGQ, Fraunhofer
IAO, and Fraunhofer IPA
In order to make the process audit- and certification-proof,
development at the Neckarsulm location was carried out in
close coordination with the German Association for Quality
(DGQ), the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering
(IAO), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing
Engineering and Automation (IPA). This approach reflects
the fact that there are currently no standards or certifications
issued by an independent body for AI applications to date.
“This means that, for example in manufacturing, it is possible
to conclusively demonstrate how the result of an AI-based
test comes about,” explained WPS-Analytics project managers
Mathias Mayer and Andreas Rieker. Audi has also developed
an AI guide for production with the Fraunhofer Institutes
IAO and IPA.
The project “WPS-Analytics” also serves as a use case for
the Automotive Initiative 2025 (AI25) launched by Audi.
The initiative aims to establish a competence network for
digital factory transformation and innovation. Audi wants
to leverage digitalization to make production and logistics
more flexible and efficient. On its way to becoming a smart
factory, Audi and partners from science and the IT industry
are testing digital solutions to produce premium vehicles
in a real manufacturing environment in Neckarsulm to
deploy them in series production later.
*
* AUDI
|
Economie 
