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EDWartens UK

Free course · AI and machine learning

Machine Vision and Quality Inspection

The whole inspection station, not just the model: cameras, lenses, lighting and triggers that make the image; classical tools for what can be measured; deep learning for what can only be shown; datasets and labelling; training, evaluating and exporting a YOLO defect detector; and deploying it beside a PLC that keeps the reject decision.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Intermediate
Modules
12
Video
14 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Specify a camera, lens, lighting and trigger from the feature size, field of view and line speed with the arithmetic shown; build a timing budget to the rejector and a PLC handshake with a heartbeat; assemble classical tools with limits and validate them; decide when deep learning is justified and which model type; build a labelled dataset with a written standard; train a YOLO detector, sweep the threshold, choose the operating point with QA, export it and measure latency; and read an integrator's quotation for what it leaves out.

  • Turn feature size, field of view and belt speed into pixels, exposure and a lens focal length
  • Choose backlight, dark-field, dome or structured light by measured contrast, not opinion
  • Build the timing budget to the rejector and the PLC handshake with a heartbeat
  • Assemble and validate classical tools — calipers, presence, OCR, codes — with limits and golden samples
  • Decide when deep learning is justified, build a labelled dataset with a standard, and train a YOLO detector
  • Choose the operating point with QA, export the model and measure latency where it will run

Software

Google Colab with a GPU runtime and Ultralytics YOLO; a phone camera for the bench test.

Hardware

A phone, a torch, a lamp and white paper for the lighting bench test. No industrial camera required.

Syllabus

12 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1The anatomy of an inspection station4 lessons
  2. 2Cameras and sensors4 lessons
  3. 3Lenses and optics2 lessons
  4. 4Lighting5 lessons
  5. 5Triggering, timing and the PLC2 lessons
  6. 6Classical inspection tools2 lessonsLab
  7. 7When to go deep4 lessonsLab
  8. 8Datasets and labelling2 lessons
  9. 9Training a detector4 lessons
  10. 10Evaluating for the line and deploying4 lessonsLab
  11. 11The inspection station project3 lessons
  12. 12Final assessment0 lessons

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Train a model on plant data, move the decision threshold and weigh the cost of errors in the Lab's AI workbench.

Works alongside Machine Vision and Quality Inspection. The Lab is ai for industry practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
AI for industry: Build AI models.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Machine Vision and Quality Inspection

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Questions

About this course

Do I need an industrial camera?
No. The specification modules teach the arithmetic you will use to buy one; the bench test uses a phone and a lamp; the detector trains on the track's labelled dataset in Colab.
What do I need before this course?
The Computer Vision with OpenCV course for the classical tools and the measurement habits; the Deep Learning course helps for the YOLO modules but the notes are self-contained.
What are the projects?
Train, evaluate, threshold-sweep and export a YOLO defect detector on 640 labelled surface images, ending with the recall-per-defect sentence QA would sign; and specify a complete inspection station — camera, lens, lighting, trigger, timing — for a real product, with the lighting choice bench-tested on your own photos.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task, project and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have finished the modules and passed the final assessment (the project is optional practice), with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks, the projects and the assessments.
How long does the course take?
Plan on about 14 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the twelve modules at your own speed.

Industrial AI engineer

Take it with

See the whole path

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module