Control Expert Days 2026

Stuttgart / May 20, 2026 - May 21, 2026

Control Expert Days 2026

Expert meeting for industrial quality assurance

Website Control Expert Days 2026

Hall 9 – at the Fraunhofer Vision joint booth

The Control Expert Days are a two-day professional event featuring an exhibition and presentations. They complement the leading international trade fair Control. As a platform, the event highlights various aspects of industrial quality assurance and showcases the latest portfolio of technologies, processes, products, and system solutions in a practical context.

We will be present at the joint booth of the Fraunhofer Vision Business Unit together with experts from the »Image Processing and Inspection Systems« department. This business unit brings together specialized departments from several Fraunhofer institutes, bundling their expertise in industrial image processing, machine vision, as well as optical measurement and testing technology. Dr. Henrike Stephani will also give a presentation on »AI in Quality Control – Opportunities and Challenges in Industrial Applications«.

Our Contributions

May 21, 2026, 12:00 PM: AI in Quality Control – Opportunities and Challenges in Industrial Applications

Artificial intelligence has made its way into many industries in recent years. However, its use in industrial environments brings not only advantages but also new challenges. Although quality control is the most important application area for AI in manufacturing companies, only around 25 percent of companies currently use such technologies.

The presentation highlights the opportunities and limitations of AI in industrial quality control. Using brief examples, it demonstrates the new and more flexible solutions that can be enabled through the use of AI. At the same time, it addresses typical challenges.

These include, in particular, the acquisition of suitable and balanced datasets—faulty or defective data, in particular, is often difficult to obtain. In addition, the traceability of AI-driven decisions and the parameterization of models represent key challenges. The expert will also present example approaches showing how companies can address these requirements.

Department »Image Processing«

Inline Quality Control for Production

The focus is on the development of efficient, image-based complete solutions for automated quality control and quality assurance in production. Mathematical methods and algorithms are used for image analysis and processing. The systems offer individual solutions that replicate existing quality controls in the company. In addition to classic image processing algorithms for surface inspection, machine learning methods and hybrid systems are also used, which are particularly suitable for diverse product portfolios. In addition, feasibility studies are carried out, the necessary hardware is defined, system software and graphical user interfaces are developed and the system is optimized up to project acceptance.

In the »Re(Pro)³« project, we combine condition monitoring and predictive maintenance with automated quality monitoring in order to detect errors in production at an early stage and reduce reject rates. By integrating image processing methods and condition monitoring, we are creating a system that analyzes changes in product quality over time and identifies maintenance requirements in good time.

Re(Pro)³ – Ressourcenoptimierte Produktion durch Inline Prozess- und Produktüberwachun — © freepik
Re(Pro)³ – Resource-optimized production through inline process and product monitoring: Efficient production systems through image-based condition monitoring and predictive maintenance

Impressions at the Control International Trade Fair for Quality Assurance

© Fraunhofer ITWM
Our department »Materials Characterization and Testing« is concerned with non-destructive testing of coatings and composite materials. One example of application is the inspection of radomes.

Our »Image Processing« department develops application-specific solutions for complex tasks in surface inspection. — © Fraunhofer ITWM
Our »Image Processing and Inspection Systems« department develops application-specific solutions for complex tasks in surface inspection. A particular highlight is our robot-supported path planning, which can be used to find defects on surfaces.

Dipl. Inf. Markus Rauhut and Dr. Henrike Stephani, heads of the department »Image Processing«, at Control 2023. — Dipl. Inf. Markus Rauhut and Dr. Henrike Stephani, heads of the department »Image Processing and Inspection Systems«, at Control 2023.

Fair

Stuttgart / May 20, 2026 - May 21, 2026