Automating the processing of Mill Test Certificates (MTCs)/ Material Test Report (MTR) / Certificate of Analysis (COA) presents a significant challenge due to the diverse range of chemical and physical properties found in these reports for raw materials. While MTR processing is crucial for quality assurance, it is often time-consuming. Fortunately, there is a more efficient way that can lead to substantial cost and time savings for fabricators and material customers.
Explore the 6 Steps to Automate MTC Processing
Understanding Mill Test Certificates:
A Mill Test Certificate (MTC)/ MTR/COA is a vital quality assurance document that certifies the exact chemical and physical properties of a material. MTRs, also known as Certified Mill Test Reports, Mill Test Certifications, Mill Inspection Certificates, or Certified Material Test Reports, ensure that a metal product complies with specific standards set by international organizations.
Key Information in Mill Test Certificates:
Mill Test Reports typically include details such as the country of production, physical and chemical property specifications, precise size or shape dimensions, and compliance with standards organizations like ANSI, ASME, or ASTM. These reports serve as evidence of a metal product’s origin, traceability, and the processes involved in its creation.
Challenges in Automating MTC Processing:
Automating the processing of MTCs is challenging due to various factors, including the vast number of fields in the reports, differing layouts among manufacturers, poor image quality from printing and scanning, and the presence of multiple languages in international distribution.
Importance of MTC:
MTCs play a crucial role in quality assurance and compliance, with ASME certification requiring them to be kept on file for up to three years after product use. Maintaining this critical data in a database is essential for tracking and reporting purposes.
Six Steps to Automate MTC Processing:
- Digitization / Image Processing: Remove non-text elements from the digital copy of the test report.
- Optical Character Recognition: Recognize all languages and text characters on the material test report using OCR.
- Machine Learning / Training: Train software to identify the document as an MTC, allowing for the recognition of additional attached documents.
- Build Data Models: Create data collection models for important information on the MTC.
- Human Data Review: Conduct a human review to ensure accuracy and flag uncertainties for further investigation.
- Data Integration: Integrate MTC data and the digital copy of the document with existing quality software or reporting tools.
Discover how Star Software, an intelligent document processing platform, makes automating the review processes for mill test reports efficient and effective.
