journal article·2025-09-08Open access

Alleviate Data Scarcity in Remanufacturing: Classifying the Reusability of Parts with Data-Efficient Generative Adversarial Networks (DE-GANs)

Maximilian Herold, Engjëll Ahmeti, Naga Sai Teja Kolakaleti, Cagatay Odabasi, Jan Koller, Frank Döpper

Applied Sciences· Volume 15· Issue 17

Abstract

Remanufacturing, a key element of the circular economy, enables products and parts to have new life cycles through a systematic process. Initially, used products (cores) are visually inspected and categorized according to their manufacturer and variant before being disassembled and cleaned. Subsequently, parts are manually classified as directly reusable, reusable after reconditioning, or recyclable. As demand for remanufactured parts increases, automated classification becomes crucial. However, current Deep Learning (DL) methods, constrained by the scarcity of unique parts, often suffer from insufficient datasets, leading to overfitting. This research explores the effectiveness of Data-Efficient Generative Adversarial Network (DE-GAN) optimization approaches like FastGAN, APA, and InsGen in enhancing dataset diversity. These methods were evaluated against the State-of-the-Art (SOTA) Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (DCGAN) using metrics such as the Inception Score (IS), Fréchet Inception Distance (FID), and the classification accuracy of ResNet18 models trained with partially synthetic data. FastGAN achieved the lowest FID values among all models and led to a statistically significant improvement in ResNet18 classification accuracy. At a [1:1] real-to-synthetic ratio, the mean accuracy increased from 72% ± 4% (real-data-only) to 87% ± 3% (p < 0.001), and reached 94% ± 3% after hyperparameter optimization. In contrast, synthetic data generated by the SOTA DCGAN did not yield statistically significant improvements.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Industrial Vision Systems and Defect Detection · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction · Additive Manufacturing Materials and Processes

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, Universitaetsstrasse 9, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany

Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, Nobelstrasse 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany

Chair Manufacturing and Remanufacturing Technology, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstrasse 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany

Funding

Federal Ministry of Education and Research Deutschland

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