New system detects ultra-small customer product defects with AI

TDK Corporation has unveiled the latest TDK SensEI product line, edgeRX Vision.

edgeRX Vision is a high-speed defect detection system that analyses customer product images or movies and can identify even the smallest components, down to 1mm x 0.5mm, with remarkable precision.

Powered by advanced AI, the system delivers real-time, highly accurate defect detection while greatly reducing false positives. Working in conjunction with the company's SensEI's edgeRX platform and sensors, the solution improves existing hardware infrastructure to minimise unnecessary machine stoppages and ensure a smoother, more efficient production flow. Operating at speeds of up to 2,000 parts per minute, even slight reductions in downtime can lead to significant revenue gains, making the solution an essential system for high-throughput manufacturing environments.

Key features of edgeRX Vision include:

• High-precision product defect detection
• Adaptive learning and continuous improvement
• Reduced false positives and negatives
• Scalability across product lines

AI-based machine vision has evolved into a highly advanced and reliable technology, widely adopted across industries for its speed, precision, and adaptability. Modern systems utilise edge AI to process visual data in real-time, thereby decreasing latency and dependence on cloud infrastructure. Transformer-based architectures and unified models, such as DINOv2 and SAM, enable a wide range of vision tasks—such as detection, segmentation, and classification—without the need for task-specific retraining. These systems are also becoming more label-efficient via self-supervised and few-shot learning, lowering the cost of data preparation. Integration with language models has introduced multi-modal capabilities, allowing for more intuitive HMI. With these enhancements and new capabilities transforming the industry, now is a pivotal moment for the company to introduce edgeRX Vision to the marketplace. AI-driven vision systems have become more scalable, robust, and cost-effective than ever before, making them essential for high-throughput, real-world production environments.

"edgeRX Vision will further enhance our existing automatic optical inspection (AOI) capabilities with high-velocity, AI-powered defect detection, right at the edge," said Ken Takekawa, CEO of TDK Components USA. It's capable of handling even the smallest MLCCs, measuring down to 1mm by 0.5mm, with exceptional precision. By deploying AI on our existing hardware, we significantly reduced the total cost of ownership by minimising false positives. This improvement will lead to fewer machine stoppages due to inspection overkill and result in much higher production throughput. At speeds of up to 2,000 parts per minute, even small-time savings translate into substantial revenue gains."

"The launch of edgeRX Vision marks a significant milestone in our mission to bring intelligent automation to the factory floor," said Sandeep Pandya, CEO of TDK SensEI. "By harnessing the power of AI, edgeRX Vision delivers precise, real-time defect detection that enhances operational efficiency and product quality. Working seamlessly with our edgeRX sensors, this solution extends the capabilities of the edgeRX platform, offering manufacturers a smarter, more integrated approach to high-speed production challenges."