Training methods for visual inspection tasks

The visual inspection process in the casting industry is a subjective task. Inspectors are often required to make absolute judgments when deciding to classify a casting as acceptable or in need of re-work. Due to this subjectivity, castings can be incorrectly classified as acceptable or scheduled for unnecessary re-work, leading to longer production times or higher costs. It is of interest for both manufacturers and customers of the casting industry to improve the visual inspection process. This research was performed with the goal of using an inspection strategy based on rastering to improve the success of a visual inspection task. Paper and video training methods were used to present a rastering strategy to each participant. The results indicate that video assisted rastering training produced superior results when compared to basic rastering training.