Augmented Reality Aided Inspection of Gears

For precisely produced polymer gears with a fast turnaround, reliable and easy inspection is crucial. The research project includes determining geometrical parameters and proposes a new parameter, which includes the absolute deviation of the gear from the designed model. The new parameter can be used to determine the shrinkage of the polymer gears and is used as feedback to the design process through augmented reality aided inspection. The inspection process begins with acquiring an optical scan, which captures the geometry of the whole gear. It includes a comparison to the CAD model. Using model-based definition, the measures and tolerances from the design phase are transferred to the inspection through STEP AP 242. During the inspection, the gear is evaluated if it is in accordance with the prescribed tolerances. The results are used as feedback to the design process through augmented reality, which enables a clear presentation of the results on the actual object. The presentation gives a direction where big shrinkage occurs and shows how much the mould design needs to be changed. The results include the colour map of the deviation, standard geometrical parameters, the shrinkage parameter, and the measure/tolerance check.