Real-Time Sheath Damage Detection in Multicore Wire Production Using Laser-Diffused Reflection

Nisala Damith; Aruna Kulasinghe; Teshan Gunasekara; Narmada Ranaweera; Nipun Kahatapitiya; Hansa Hettiarachchi; Udaya Wijenayake; Bhagya Silva; Mansik Jeon; Jeehyun Kim; Ruchire Wijesinghe; Nishan Dharmaweera

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Real-Time Sheath Damage Detection in Multicore Wire Production Using Laser-Diffused Reflection

Nisala Damith

¹,

Aruna Kulasinghe

¹,

Teshan Gunasekara

¹,

Narmada Ranaweera

^{*

1},

Nipun Shantha Kahatapitiya

²,

Hansa Hettiarachchi

²,

³,

^{4, 5},

²,

²,

Ruchire Eranga Wijesinghe

^{5, 6},

Nishan Dharmaweera

^{*

1}

¹ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
² School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, College of IT Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
⁴ Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Computing, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Malabe, Sri Lanka.
⁵ Center for Excellence in Informatics, Electronics and Transmission (CIET), Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Malabe, Sri Lanka.
⁶ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Malabe, Sri Lanka.

Academic Editor: Stefano Mariani

Published: 07 November 2025 by MDPI in The 12th International Electronic Conference on Sensors and Applications session Electronic Sensors, Devices, and Systems

https://doi.org/10.3390/ECSA-12-26550 (registering DOI)

Abstract:

This study presents a real-time system for detecting sheath damage in multicore wire production, addressing the limitations of conventional high-voltage testing. After evaluating multiple sensing techniques, laser-diffused reflection emerged as the most reliable, non-intrusive, and effective for continuous monitoring. A calibrated system combining a laser source and photodetector was implemented and tested on a live production line, achieving 83.75% detection accuracy. The system maintained consistent performance across wire colors and insulation conditions. This advancement offers a safer, more efficient alternative for in-process quality control. Future work aims to enhance robustness and incorporate intelligent algorithms to further optimize detection accuracy.

Keywords: sheath damage detection; real-time monitoring; laser-diffused reflection; multicore wire and cable production; insulation defects; embedded detection systems; industrial automation

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