Boosting Efficiency and Performance of Unique Reusable Glove Processing Solution Pentamaster Corporation Berhad consolidates the computing infrastructure in its GURU (Glove Unique Reprocessing Unit) solution, resulting in faster output of glove processing and more streamlined operation. CHALLENGES • Performance bottleneck in vision processing. Vision processing demands the computing performance to provide real-time capability without disrupting other parts of the system. • Technology roadmap for future improvements. Staying ahead of the competition and keeping up with the demands of the market require a reliable and scalable roadmap that enables technology leadership and evolution to the GURU solution. SOLUTIONS • Upgrade to the 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processors. Industrial PCs (IPCs) on Intel® architecture are part of the vision processing modules in the GURU solution. By upgrading the existing IPCs to the 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor, a relatively simple procedure, Pentamaster demonstrably increased the throughput of the GURU solution — processing gloves is 1.5× faster than the previous setup. • Consolidate computing infrastructure to simplify operation. The newer processor provides amazing performance and expanded capabilities, which allow Pentamaster to consolidate the computing infrastructure in the GURU solution. From two cameras connected to an IPC, now four cameras can be connected to a single IPC powerful enough to sustain the processing requirements to perform the complex algorithms on the large image dataset. Introduction Pentamaster introduces several technological innovations to the reusable glove industry with its GURU (Glove Unique Reprocessing Unit) solution. GURU checks every glove for quality, uses cold plasma technology to decontaminate the gloves, and performs non-invasive pinhole testing using electrical current. By integrating Intel® architecture, Pentamaster has brought enhanced speed and efficiency to its GURU solution, thereby broadening the application of reusable gloves in more industries and minimizing the impact on the environment through the reusing and recycling of gloves. Protecting People, Protecting the Environment With the increasing application of disposable gloves in various areas such as medical, service, and food industries, the demand is expected to continue to escalate. After a single use, these disposable gloves are discarded, and they take up space in landfills and require a long time to biodegrade or decompose. In light of this, there is a growing awareness among the industries on the environmental impact of discarded gloves. A better and more environmentally responsible alternative is reusable gloves which according to Pentamaster can reduce the number of gloves consumed by 70% when Pentamaster Corporation Berhad, a leader in providing advanced manufacturing automation solutions and services, has more than 19 years of experience in the manufacturing automation industry with competencies in various engineering disciplines. The technologies and solutions from Pentamaster are deployed worldwide across a range of industries, ranging from semiconductor, automotive, food and beverages, and consumer products to general manufacturing. CASE STUDY 3rd-Generation Intel® Core™ Processor Family Industrial System Consolidation
Transcript
Boosting Efficiency and Performance of Unique Reusable Glove Processing Solution
Pentamaster Corporation Berhad consolidates the computing infrastructure in its GURU (Glove Unique Reprocessing Unit) solution, resulting in faster output of glove processing and more streamlined operation.
CHALLENGES
• Performance bottleneck in vision processing. Vision processing demands the computing performance to provide real-time capability without disrupting other parts of the system.
• Technology roadmap for future improvements. Staying ahead of the competition and keeping up with the demands of the market require a reliable and scalable roadmap that enables technology leadership and evolution to the GURU solution.
SOLUTIONS
• Upgrade to the 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processors. Industrial PCs (IPCs) on Intel® architecture are part of the vision processing modules in the GURU solution. By upgrading the existing IPCs to the 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor, a relatively simple procedure, Pentamaster demonstrably increased the throughput of the GURU solution — processing gloves is 1.5× faster than the previous setup.
• Consolidate computing infrastructure to simplify operation. The newer processor provides amazing performance and expanded capabilities, which allow Pentamaster to consolidate the computing infrastructure in the GURU solution. From two cameras connected to an IPC, now four cameras can be connected to a single IPC powerful enough to sustain the processing requirements to perform the complex algorithms on the large image dataset.
IntroductionPentamaster introduces several technological innovations to the reusable glove industry with its GURU (Glove Unique Reprocessing Unit) solution. GURU checks every glove for quality, uses cold plasma technology to decontaminate the gloves, and performs non-invasive pinhole testing using electrical current. By integrating Intel® architecture, Pentamaster has brought enhanced speed and efficiency to its GURU solution, thereby broadening the application of reusable gloves in more industries and minimizing the impact on the environment through the reusing and recycling of gloves.
Protecting People, Protecting the EnvironmentWith the increasing application of disposable gloves in various areas such as medical, service, and food industries, the demand is expected to continue to escalate. After a single use, these disposable gloves are discarded, and they take up space in landfills and require a long time to biodegrade or decompose. In light of this, there is a growing awareness among the industries on the environmental impact of discarded gloves. A better and more environmentally responsible alternative is reusable gloves which according to Pentamaster can reduce the number of gloves consumed by 70% when
Pentamaster Corporation Berhad,
a leader in providing advanced
manufacturing automation solutions
and services, has more than 19 years
of experience in the manufacturing
automation industry with competencies
in various engineering disciplines.
The technologies and solutions from
Pentamaster are deployed worldwide
across a range of industries, ranging
from semiconductor, automotive, food
and beverages, and consumer products
to general manufacturing.
CASE STUDY3rd-Generation Intel® Core™ Processor FamilyIndustrial System Consolidation
processed using its GURU solution. This reduction is possible because each reusable glove can be processed and reused up to seven times before it is recycled.
Overview of the GURU SolutionGURU comprises seven modules that process reusable gloves. There are two vision processing modules:
• Auto-loading module. The first vision processing module is the auto-loading module that uses four cameras to load and position gloves into GURU.
The gloves proceed to the next two modules for chemical and thermal decontamination.
• Visual inspection module. The second vision processing module uses four cameras to check for cosmetic defects, to read the unique 2D code on every glove (for traceability), and to ensure correct orientation for donning.
The next module detects pinholes in the gloves using electrical current followed by another module that decontaminates the gloves using cold plasma technology. The final module robotically packages passed gloves while rejected gloves are shredded for recycling.
“Reusable latex gloves offer improved tactile sensitivity and grip, better fit, and superior elasticity suitable for a variety of uses. However, concerns from users are trust and cost associated with reusable gloves,” says Mr. You Chin Teik, Product Development Manager at Pentamaster. “To lower these barriers, every glove processed using GURU is cleaned, tested, and logged to ensure safe usage. Furthermore, the cost to purchase processed reusable gloves is cheaper than the cost to purchase new gloves.”
Addressing the Upward Trend in Processing PerformancePentamaster is cognizant of the upward trend of processing performance required for vision processing. The IPCs employed in GURU would eventually become a performance bottleneck. In light of this, Pentamaster identified the following key challenges:
• Performing the complex algorithms on the large image dataset require considerable amount of processing performance from the IPCs in GURU.
• The limited processing performance of the older processors restricted the number of high resolution and high frame rate cameras that can be connected to a single IPC.
“The 3rd-generation Intel®
Core™ processor made it
possible for us to consolidate
the computing infrastructure
in GURU, specifically in the
vision processing modules.”
– Mr. You Chin Teik, Product Development Manager,
Pentamaster
Harnessing the Computing Potential of Intel® Architecture to Drive Innovation
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Thermal decontamination. Gloves are subjected to high infrared heat to dry both sides, and the extreme heat also decontaminates the gloves.
Innovating and Adopting New Technologies Go Hand in GloveVision processing based on Intel® architecture brings processing performance, energy efficiency, and reliability to GURU, allowing Pentamaster to utilize the expanded capabilities of Intel’s leading-edge silicon and to extract greater performance from GURU.
The processors of the IPCs in the vision processing modules were upgraded to the 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor that features Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.01, boosting the processor speed automatically when additional processing performance is required, and Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology1, allowing each processor core to work on two tasks simultaneously to speed up the processing time.
The new processor fits right in with Pentamaster’s established vision processing software, making deployment a breeze. “Upgrading the Industrial PCs in our existing setup to the newer processor was a relatively simple task,” explains Chin Teik. “The upgraded Industrial PCs worked flawlessly. We gained an increase in computing performance and also additional capabilities such as built-in remote management and integrated graphics processor. Using Intel®
architecture has opened exciting new possibilities for innovation in our GURU solution.”
Without having to spend much time and skilled resources to perform software optimization, Pentamaster improved the performance of GURU by simply upgrading the processors in the vision processing modules. With the exceptional processing power of the 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor, the overall inspection cycle of GURU improved to less than 2 seconds, thereby boosting the output of GURU from 600 gloves per hour to 900 gloves per hour — a significant improvement made possible by a simple processor upgrade.
Supporting Consolidation of Computing InfrastructureAs the industry leader in microarchitecture and fabrication technology, Intel is driving the development of more capable and energy efficient processors. The high-performing 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor enabled Pentamaster to consolidate the IPCs supporting vision processing in GURU. Each vision processing module has four cameras connected to IPCs that capture a large image dataset, which is then interpreted using complex algorithms to load and position the gloves, to check for cosmetic detects, and to log the unique 2D code on every glove.
“The 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor made it possible for us to consolidate the computing infrastructure in GURU, specifically in the vision processing modules,” says Chin Teik. “Previously, we needed four Industrial PCs to support the eight cameras in GURU. With the new processors, we only need two Industrial PCs to support the eight cameras without any performance issues.”
The consolidated computing infrastructure in GURU streamlines administration and maintenance by reducing the number IPCs required to support the vision processing modules. Furthermore, with fewer IPCs, all using Intel® architecture that offers superior processing performance and energy efficiency, Pentamaster is able to lower the energy costs to operate GURU. “Using the GURU solution is greener in terms of the amount of gloves reused, recycled, and saved from filling up landfills, and it is also more energy efficient with lower energy costs in the operation of GURU.” says Chin Teik.
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The Glove Unique Reprocessing Unit (GURU). Reusable gloves processed with GURU can be used in various industries such as food processing, laboratory, law enforcement, and service.
Enabling Innovation and Agility with Intel® ArchitectureIntel continues to make advances in smart designs and intelligent fabrication technology. Intel’s 3D Tri-Gate, 22-nanometer microarchitecture, introduced in the 3rd-generation Intel® Core™ processors, enables Intel to continue supporting Pentamaster by designing processors with higher performance, further expanded capabilities, and lower power consumption.
Pentamaster is poised to design further improvements and innovations in GURU with future Intel® processors. The higher performance ceiling in newer processors gives Pentamaster the option to add more
For more information on Pentamaster solutions based on Intel® architecture, visit www.pentamaster.com.my
test functions into the vision processing algorithms to increase accuracy and further reduce the overall inspection cycle. Pentamaster also sees the potential for further consolidation of the computing infrastructure by having a single IPC support the eight cameras used in the vision processing modules.
The Intel® Core™ processor family with Intel® vPro technology includes a built-in remote management feature: Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT). Using this capability designed into the Intel® architecture-based platform and applications that support remote management, Intel® AMT enables the possibility for Pentamaster to
manage, repair, and protect remotely the computing infrastructure in GURU. Leveraging this built-in remote management feature could lower support costs for the GURU solution.
“As people become more conscious of environmental issues, the application of reusable gloves in various industries continues to grow wider,” Chin Teik says. “We have a promising path to continue innovating and improving the GURU solution using Intel® architecture.”
SOLUTION PROVIDED BY:
1 Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology, and Intel® Virtualization Technology require a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, enabling software and/or operating system, device drivers, and applications
designed for these features. Performance will vary depending on your configuration. Contact your vendor for more information.
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