Can the spooler be used as an inspection system?
Even today you can go into some plants and see little machines with a payoff and a take-up running at 100 fpm. Standing between them is an operator who is checking for flaws. This is a terribly inefficient use of manpower. A spooler used as a simple off-line inspection system can count the number of flaws it finds on the spool. More complex systems use auto reversing to flaw . When a flaw is detected, an alarm is sounded, and the spooler automatically stops so that an operator can repair, tag, or remove it, as required. Automatic flaw detection systems incorporate a sparker, laser mike or optical inspection devices. Such a system can operate at speeds of 1500 fpm and greater.