Puffco discovers root cause in one day and cuts 4 weeks off NPI schedule

Puffco was developing a first-generation product with a complex design process that was difficult to translate remotely to their overseas manufacturing partner. They discovered significant variation in product performance and spent over three months trying to find the root cause on their own, including inserting a tiny microscope into assembled units, with no success. Pandemic-induced travel barriers limited their ability to gather data on underperforming units.

Puffco leveraged Instrumental's Discover AI solution combined with Creative Electron X-ray imaging to gain visual insight into the assembled product. By pairing X-ray images with AI-powered data analysis, they could see inside the blind assembly and quickly identify anomalies that were causing the performance variation. The platform also improved data-sharing with their China-based contract manufacturer.

Puffco identified the root cause defect in just one day after three months of unsuccessful manual investigation. The discovery cut four weeks off the project schedule. Process changes were implemented to continue building a high-quality first-generation product, and the platform set them up for long-term success with future builds.

• AI-powered visual analysis combined with X-ray imaging can solve blind assembly challenges that are impossible to inspect manually
• Problems that take months to diagnose manually can be solved in a single day with the right AI-powered data platform
• Remote data-sharing platforms are critical for effective collaboration with overseas contract manufacturers