How a premium automaker uses tablet AR for quality checks on the assembly line

Another company's example, not a Metaverse911 project. We did not work on it. We have left out figures we cannot trace to a named, published source. See our case studies for our own work.

The situation: quality checks that stopped the flow

At its plant in Leipzig, Germany, this premium carmaker cannot accept a misaligned panel, a small dimensional deviation or a part that does not fit exactly. Checking this used to mean moving the vehicle or part off the assembly line to a dedicated measurement room, where Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs) or physical templates were used to check each dimension.

The process was slow and disrupted production. By the time a deviation was found, the vehicle had often moved several stations on, which made rework harder and more expensive. Inspectors worked under pressure in isolated rooms, and quality acted as a gate rather than part of the process.

The same approach made it hard to audit supplier parts quickly as they arrived. A late finding on a non-conforming part could cause problems further down the line. The company's engineers wanted precise quality inspection that could happen on the line, without slowing it down.

What they did: a tablet AR app built with Fraunhofer

The manufacturer worked with the Fraunhofer Society, Europe's largest application-oriented research organisation, to develop a tablet-based AR app for quality assurance in high-volume, high-precision production.

The training department ran hands-on workshops with on-the-job support, and built a library of digital work instructions on the tablets for new hires. Because the interface is simple, inspectors became proficient quickly.

How it works

• 3D CAD models are stored on a central server and streamed to the tablets on demand, so inspectors always have the latest design.
• The inspector holds the tablet over a vehicle component. Computer vision recognises the part and overlays the matching CAD image on the live camera view.
• Any gap a millimetre too wide, a slightly misaligned bracket, or a missing clip or fastener shows up as a clear mismatch between the part and the overlay.
• The inspector records deviations with photos and notes and shares them with engineering and production for root cause analysis.
• Results are logged in real time in the Manufacturing Execution System (MES).

The tablets also support remote collaboration with suppliers. When a batch of parts looks wrong, an inspector can share the live AR view with the supplier's engineers and show exactly where the part differs from the CAD model, instead of shipping parts back and forth. The IT team secured the factory wireless network and connected the app to the MES and PLM systems.

Results

The automaker has not published figures that we can cite, so this section describes the changes without numbers.

• Individual inspections take less time, which allows more frequent and thorough checks.
• Supplier quality issues are settled faster, because both sides look at the same live view of the part against its design.
• Physical measurement templates and gauges are no longer needed, which saves design, fabrication, storage and maintenance cost.
• Less rework and scrap, and more parts right first time.

Inspectors now check parts in place on the line, so defects are fixed at the earliest stage. The CMM is no longer needed for a wide range of inspections. Fewer defects and more consistent vehicles support customer satisfaction.

What it means for manufacturers

If parts or products must leave the line to be checked, quality becomes a bottleneck. Tablet AR lets inspectors compare the real part with its CAD model where it is, which saves time and catches problems earlier.

The supplier example is especially useful. Sharing a live view of the part against its design gives both sides the same evidence, which settles quality disputes far faster than emails and returned parts.

To see where AR could help in your own plant, read our page on augmented reality or talk to our team.