Project Case Study

Automated Material Classification & Industrial Weighing System

enricoriskip
Software Engineer

Background

Inside the production floor, a different kind of accuracy problem was present:

  • Workers were manually identifying which type of material was in each bucket before weighing — fast, but unreliable.
  • Misclassification meant production data for scrap materials (Kiriko and NG Wheel) couldn’t be fully trusted.
  • There was no reliable way to trace which bucket held what material at any given moment.
  • Without accurate classification data, optimizing the reprocessing of scrap material was largely guesswork.

Solution

I built a multi-hardware integration system that combined RFID tagging with industrial scale readings — removing the human identification step entirely. Each bucket would carry its own identity via an RFID tag, and the scale would capture the weight automatically through PLC integration. The system would then match the two data points together without any operator input.

Implementation

The RFID layer was implemented using the Zebra RFID SDK (Symbol.RFID3) in a VB.NET desktop application. Each physical bucket was registered in the system with a unique RFID tag linked to its material classification. When a bucket came in for weighing, the reader identified it automatically.

The industrial scale was connected via PLC, which performed a Direct Database Write the moment a weighing event occurred. A data correlation engine on the VB.NET side then paired the bucket’s RFID-derived identity with the PLC-derived weight, producing a complete, accurate record for every transaction.

A Laravel-based web dashboard was built on top of this to give management real-time visibility into production volumes — total Kiriko and NG Wheel material processed, with full traceability per transaction.

Operator Command Center — Real-time PLC weight data synchronization interface with automated material identification.
Operator Command Center — Real-time PLC weight data synchronization interface with automated material identification.
Universal Bucket Registry — RFID hardware initialization module for unique mapping between containers and material classification.
Universal Bucket Registry — RFID hardware initialization module for unique mapping between containers and material classification.
Remote Fleet Monitoring — Instant weighing monitoring dashboard for forklift operator mobility and efficiency.
Remote Fleet Monitoring — Instant weighing monitoring dashboard for forklift operator mobility and efficiency.
End-to-End Production Traceability — Integrated historical weighing data recapitulation for material audits.
End-to-End Production Traceability — Integrated historical weighing data recapitulation for material audits.

Impact

  • Material misclassification dropped to zero — every database entry was backed by a hardware-verified RFID read and a direct PLC weight capture.
  • Production teams gained instant visibility into scrap volumes, enabling more efficient reprocessing planning.
  • Every transaction carried a complete digital trail — timestamp, material type, weight, and container ID — making audits straightforward.
  • The combination of RFID and PLC data removed the last manual touchpoint in the classification and weighing workflow.

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