Artificial intelligence takes a very close look

Bosch is now launching its first projects in two German plants in which generative artificial intelligence (AI) generates synthetic images in order to develop or optimize AI solutions for optical inspection. The company expects that this will reduce the time from project planning and commissioning to the ramp-up of AI applications from the current six to twelve months to just a few weeks. Following successful piloting, this service will be offered to all Bosch locations.

"With the help of generative AI, we are not only improving existing AI solutions, we are also laying the foundations for optimal penetration of this future technology in our global manufacturing network," says Stefan Hartung, Chairman of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH. Depending on plant size and production, AI can be used to achieve productivity gains and cost savings. As a trendsetter in Industry 4.0, Bosch wants to play a leading role in the development and application of industrial AI, explains Hartung.

Bosch pilot plants are already using AI in production planning, monitoring and control. At the plant in Hildesheim, for example, cycle times have been reduced by 15 percent during the production ramp-up of new lines thanks to AI-based data analysis. At the plant in Stuttgart-Feuerbach, new algorithms have reduced component inspection processes from three and a half minutes to three minutes. Bosch relies on its own expertise for this. While the Hildesheim plant uses synthetically generated images to reliably inspect copper wire welds in electric motor production, the other plant focuses on the quality assurance of high-pressure pumps.

For years, fuel injection components were inspected manually at the Feuerbach plant. Due to the nature and complexity of the products and the different production lines, neither rule-based nor AI-supported visual inspection was possible. Now, a scalable generative AI recognizes the different variants of a product and error patterns. The aim is for the components to be inspected and only "doubtful cases" to be presented to the visual inspectors.

At the plant in Hildesheim, synthetically generated images have already been successfully used for the first series systems in electric motor production. The artificially generated images cannot be distinguished from real images with the human eye. The plant assumes that the new approach will shorten the project duration by six months compared to conventional methods and result in productivity increases in the six-figure euro range per year. There are plans to extend the AI approach to other of the 230 or so Bosch locations. (aum)