This system was developed at a large paper manufacturing plant. It will diagnose the causes of various types of holes in the paper being produced. The system asks a variety of questions on the type and location of the hole, and about machine characteristics that can be easily seen by the operator. The system will present a list of the most likely sources of the problem that is producing the defective paper, arranged in order of likelyhood.

Flaws and holes in the paper making process can very quickly turn into a catastrophic situation. If they are not identified quickly they can cause damage as extensive as having the roll tear and having to shut down equipment. This can be very costly due to delays or damaged equipment, staff overtime and frustration, and it can cause a rescheduling and product fulfillment nightmare. These types of problems must be identified promptly.

Whenever this type of problem occurs, top diagnostic expertise and decision-making knowledge is available to operators through expert knowledge automation systems. The return on investment by being able to identify and solve these situations in all types of manufacturing and process control can be enormous - often as high as 100-to-1. Knowledge automation expert systems can not only prevent major shutdowns but can also increase efficiency and production.

Since this system contains actual knowledge of the paper making machine, some combinations of input that would not occur in the real-world may not produce any recomendation. When realistic input is provided, the system will do an excellent job in diagnosing the cause for the problem.