Page 22 - Summer 2025
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Industry News Industry News
IMPROVING
BREAKTHROUGH IN OFFSHORE INSPECTION OF PLASTIC
WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS INJECTION MOULDING
Ashtead Technology has set a new benchmark in whereas AT-MESH enables data sharing across Plastic injection moulding has traditionally posed can be an indicator of cooling defects, temperature
advanced wireless communication and private multiple nodes. Serial data transmission is also challenges when it comes to quality control. The inconsistencies and flow anomalies in the moulding
network connectivity for offshore applications. possible by incorporating a serial server. speed of production and the complexity of mould process.
designs creates vulnerability to warping, sink
Building on the established Seatronics SeaMESH, AT- The system has been described as “ a game- These two imaging methods combined provide a
marks and voids. Consequently there is an interest
MESH achieves broadband speeds of up to 87Mbps, changer in offshore connectivity”. multidimensional view of the part, and with AI-driven
in having a system that can detect these defects as
greatly exceeding the 8.9Mbps previously achieved. analysis, allow for rapid and accurate assessments
Reference: ‘Ashtead advancing Offshore Communication soon as the part exits the mould.
Utilising multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) mesh Technology’, NDT News, May 2025, p3 of part quality. The AI evaluates multiple images,
technology, it offers low-latency to achieve real-time Now, TheyeQ in Annecy, France, has come up with identifying deviations and defects while learning
data transmission. Connectivity up to 30km with clear a solution, namely TheEye, an innovative camera- to improve its accuracy over time through deep
line of sight guarantees reliable performance. based system which can detect defects in a wide learning. A continuous learning loop is thus created
range of manufactured products. which ensures that the system becomes more
The high-bandwidth capabilities support up to 144
effective as it gains exposure to different parts and
nodes at 22Mbps or 24 nodes at 87Mbps, allowing The key innovation is the combination of polarimetric
defect patterns.
the technology to be deployed across a range of and thermal imaging technologies. Unlike
applications including multi-vessel resource sharing, conventional systems that often rely on high- TheEye captures and analyses images in
vessel data exchange, pipeline monitoring, remotely definition cameras, this system uses polarimetric milliseconds, with each inspection taking place in just
operated vehicle and diving operations, and tug imaging to detect surface stress and defects that are 60 milliseconds. The AI algorithms were optimised so
management. invisible to the human eye, whilst thermal imaging as to achieve the optimum balance between speed
detects variations in heat distribution that can reveal and accuracy.
AT-MESH is said to be the first system to have built-in
potential issues related to cooling and material flow.
capability to wirelessly transmit high-definition serial Reference: Davies, N., ‘Keeping an Eye out for Trouble’, Engineering
The result is ‘an unparalleled level of defect detection’. Designer, January-March 2025, p.20-23
digital interface video between vessels, eliminating
the need for dedicated encoder modules. Polarimetric imaging captures information about the
orientation of light waves as they reflect off a surface
Conventional radio frequency data telemetry
, highlighting surface irregularities and stresses, whilst
systems only offer point-to-point connections,
thermal imaging reveals heat signatures, which
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