This application for performing quality control with support from augmented reality (AR) was born as a pilot project for a major supplier of door panels in passenger automobiles. The best products for putting AR to work here are those that are standardised in their shape, dimensions and other parameters, while also having a number of variants.
For a door-panel project, the differences among individual configurations can be practically indistinguishable to operators’ eyes. Aimtec’s goal was to provide them with a tool that enables the evaluation of a situation quickly, simply, and the same way every time. Augmented reality automatically informs them of any kind of deviation from the required state and enables them to not only detect such deviations, but also comprehensively register them in terms of traceability. It thus replaces a long series of questions that inspectors must otherwise run through for every part.
Tablet-powered quality control
During the output inspection, the quality-control worker first uses their tablet to check the barcode of the part they’re inspecting, and then aims its camera so that the whole part fits onto its screen. The system automatically monitors the product’s inspection points and assesses whether the part is complete. It then lets the worker photograph the product and record the value from the output inspection. The data paired with the specific product is sent off to the MES, where it is stored for later use and traceability.
Petr Stejskal, Aimtec’s Technical & Support Director, explains why it decided for an AR application: “Even though the use of augmented reality is still in its beginnings, we see a large future for it. Today’s technologies already enable satisfactory results using even commonly available hardware, with software playing the key role. For the implementation of our solutions, we use the latest AR framework from the market leader: Vuforia.”
The first version of the ARQ application was developed within the AimtecLab R&D platform. A specialised team of developers seeking practical applications for new technologies is working to transform it into a commercial product. During the development of this AR-based quality control, a large role was played by its benefits – the reduction to the time needed per inspection; the elimination of errors; easy process training; the increase in information quality thanks to precise and unambiguous records; and the digitalisation of the process, including the related elimination of paper consumption for written records. Aimtec’s dedicated team enables the customisation of this solution for practically any customer.
