A first inspection step nondestructively inspects a surface side state of a treatment target to be subjected to shot processing of shooting shot media at the treatment target and evaluates that the treatment target is failed when an inspection result deviates from a first allowable range predetermined. A condition setting step sets a shot processing condition in response to the inspection result of the first inspection step for the treatment target evaluated as not failed in the first inspection step. A shot processing step performs shot processing of shooting shot media at the treatment target evaluated as not failed in the first inspection step in the shot processing condition set in the condition setting step. A second inspection step after the shot processing step nondestructively inspects a surface side state of the treatment target.

Systems and methods for improving the uniformity of a tire by identifying the effects of tooling elements used during tire manufacture on tire uniformity, such as effects resulting from building drum elements, form elements, mold elements, and other tooling elements, are provided. More particularly, a tooling signature of a tooling element can be identified by analyzing a plurality of uniformity waveforms measured for a set of tires manufactured using the tooling element. The tooling signature can be analyzed and used to modify tire manufacture to improve the uniformity of a tire.

The present disclosure describes apparatuses and techniques for using an image-based monitoring and feedback system for three-dimensional printing. In some aspects, a camera captures images of objects being printed and an image-processing system compares the images with benchmark images to detect and correct differences between the object and the benchmark. The correction can be in real time or applied to subsequent printing. Other aspects include a calibration system that prints predefined test objects and compares them to benchmarks to ensure that the printer operating parameters are properly set. The comparison can be manually performed by a user or automated as a part of the image-processing system.

The process for design based assessment includes the following steps. First, the process defines multiple patterns of interest (POIs) utilizing design data of a device and then generates a design based classification database. Further, the process receives one or more inspection results. Then, the process compares the inspection results to each of the plurality of POIs in order to identify occurrences of the POIs in the inspection results. In turn, the process determines yield impact of each POI utilizing process yield data and monitors a frequency of occurrence of each of the POIs and the criticality of the POIs in order to identify process excursions of the device. Finally, the process determines a device risk level by calculating a normalized polygon frequency for the device utilizing a frequency of occurrence for each of the critical polygons and a criticality for each of the critical polygons.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to improve boundary excursion detection. An example apparatus to improve boundary excursion detection includes a metadata extractor to parse a first control stream to extract embedded metadata, a metadata label resolver to classify a boundary term of the extracted embedded metadata, a candidate stream selector to identify candidate second control streams that include a boundary term that matches the classified boundary term of the first control stream, and a boundary vector calculator to improve boundary excursion detection by calculating a boundary vector factor based on respective ones of the candidate second control streams that include the classified boundary term.

Systems, methods, and computer program products for monitoring the tool health of on a critical dimension scanning electron microscope (CDSEM) and recipe quality on a CDSEM. Run-time data from a critical dimension scanning electron microscope is received at a computer. The computer converts the run-time data to time-sequenced data, and analyzes the time-sequenced data to detect an operational abnormality associated with the CDSEM.

A method and apparatus for controlling a tooling operation to be performed by a tooling system in an assembly process. A current set of parameter values for a set of parameters for the tooling system are modified iteratively, until the current set of parameter values are determined to result in the tooling operation producing an output that meets a set of criteria, to form a final set of parameter values. The tooling operation is performed with the tooling system using the final set of parameter values. A determination is made as to whether the output of the tooling operation meets the set of criteria based on sensor data about the output. A new set of parameter values are identified as the current set of parameter values to be evaluated in response to a determination that the output of the tooling operation does not meet the set of criteria.

A control system that can adjust a period required for detecting an abnormality occurring in a control object is provided. The control system includes: feature quantity creating means that creates a feature quantity from data which is acquired from the control object based on a first parameter associated with elements defining the feature quantity; deviation acquiring means that acquires a degree of deviation between the feature quantity created by the feature quantity creating means and a group of feature quantities stored by a storage means based on a second parameter associated with a range in the group of feature quantities; abnormality detecting means that detects an abnormality occurring in the control object based on the degree of deviation acquired by the deviation acquiring means and a threshold value; and instruction means that instructs the deviation acquiring means to start execution based on an execution cycle of the deviation acquiring means.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a coil spring and for determining a propelling condition for a shot medium. In a case where it is confirmed that the coating film remains in a third step, at least one or more of conditions of the shot peening treatment including a propelling speed of the shot medium, a propelling time of the shot medium, a material of the shot medium, and an average particle diameter of the shot medium are changed and the second step and the third step are repeated until the coating film does not remain. In a case where it is confirmed that the coating film does not remain in the third step, the condition of the shot peening treatment in the second step in which the coil spring is obtained with no remaining coating film is determined as the propelling condition for the shot medium.

Systems, methods, and computer program products for monitoring the tool health of on a critical dimension scanning electron microscope (CDSEM) and recipe quality on a CDSEM. Run-time data from a critical dimension scanning electron microscope is received at a computer. The computer converts the run-time data to time-sequenced data, and analyzes the time-sequenced data to detect an operational abnormality associated with the CDSEM.