AR quality inspection with a tablet

Inspecting a large weldment still means much the same as it did twenty years ago: move the part to the measuring room, wait for a free machine, print a report. Augmented reality turns that around. The CAD model is projected over the real part on a tablet screen and you see deviations where the part actually stands – at the welding station, at goods-in, or at the end of the line.

The software behind this type of inspection is called Twyn and it is developed by the German company Visometry. AYES is its highest certified partner in the region, with dozens of deployments behind us, and we deliver the whole solution: from reviewing your inspection processes and building the business case, through 3D data preparation, hardware and device management, to training your people and connecting it to the rest of your production digitalisation

Twyn is a software platform for visual quality inspection using augmented reality. It is developed by Visometry, a German company based in Darmstadt, which also stands behind the VisionLib tracking SDK – one of the strongest technologies on the market for recognising and tracking objects based on their CAD model.

The principle is simple: the tablet camera recognises the manufactured part, the software aligns its digital twin from CAD precisely onto it, and highlights the differences between design and reality directly in the image. The inspector immediately sees whether the part was made to drawing, whether anything is missing from the assembly, and whether every component is in its place.

The platform has two parts:

• Twyn Studio – a desktop application for engineers and quality staff. It loads CAD data, simplifies the model for mobile devices, and lets you mark inspection points and build an inspection plan.
• Twyn View – the iPad application where the inspection itself takes place. It recognises the part, displays the overlay and records the results.

1. Export from your CAD system. Twyn works with common industrial formats – JT, STEP, CATIA, IGES and others. No conversion needed beforehand.
2. Preparation in Twyn Studio. The model is optimised for the tablet automatically, inspection points and points of interest are marked, the initial recognition pose is set and an inspection plan is built step by step.
3. Transfer to the tablet. Via cloud, Microsoft Teams, e-mail or cable – whatever your IT environment allows.
4. Inspection on the shop floor. The operator points the tablet at the part, the app recognises it on its own and overlays the model. Deviations, missing or misplaced components are visible at once. Findings are documented with a photo and a note and go straight into the report.

What Twyn can do

• Automatic recognition and real-time tracking. Markerless tracking built on VisionLib. On large parts that do not fit into the camera frame, the model stays locked thanks to a combination of the iPad SLAM sensors and model-based tracking.
• Assisted deviation detection. The software analyses the image and highlights shifted edges, holes or misplaced parts on its own – with no model preparation in advance.
• Inspection points and inspection plans. The inspection breaks down into steps with a checklist. The result is the same regardless of who carries it out. Existing inspection plans can be imported and used as a basis.
• Navigation assistant. On complex assemblies it guides the operator from point to point so they do not have to look for them.
• Magnifier and clipping. A close-up view of small features and hard-to-reach areas, plus interactive clipping planes for comparing internal structures.
• Attachments on inspection points. A work instruction, welding specification, photo, PDF or spreadsheet can be attached to a point – the information sits where it is needed.
• Code scanner. Scanning the part ID loads the matching inspection procedure. The operator selects nothing manually.
• Digital reports. Export to PDF, XLS and CSV, with your own branding, photos and notes. Shareable with production, quality and suppliers.
• Shared project workspace. Quality staff across different workplaces and sites work on the same data.
• Localised interface. The interface and reports are localised, and the inspection language and report language can be set separately. Documentation and video tutorials are available in 15 languages.
• Works fully offline. The inspection runs entirely offline, on the tablet itself. Data never has to leave the device or your network – it works in halls without Wi-Fi coverage and in plants where connecting mobile devices to the network is not allowed.
• Data security. Visometry holds the TISAX certification, the security standard used across the automotive industry. Inspection projects contain sensitive design data, so this point often decides whether a deployment gets approved – especially for automotive suppliers, where TISAX is frequently a customer requirement.
• Continuous development. Visometry ships several releases a year and features are added based on input from real production environments – recent versions brought assisted deviation detection, the navigation assistant and attachments on inspection points. Future versions are included in the licence.

Where AR inspection makes sense

Twyn does not replace the measuring room. It replaces the large share of inspections where you are not measuring to hundredths of a millimetre, but verifying completeness, position and conformity with the drawing – and where classic metrology is unnecessarily slow or expensive.

• First article inspection. Verifying the part against the drawing before the series starts, with a digital record of the result.
• Incoming goods inspection. Inspection happens at goods-in; parts do not have to be moved to an inspection station.
• Weldments and large steel structures. Part size is not limited by the measuring table.
• Assembly inspection. Confirming the assembly is complete and components sit where they should, before the part moves on.
• Jigs and special tooling. Virtual verification of variants in AR cuts the number of physical iterations.
• Low-volume, high-variant production. Typically agricultural and construction machinery, special vehicles, energy, rolling stock and automotive.

Twyn and traditional inspection

In practice the two work side by side. Twyn catches most non-conformities immediately, and only what genuinely needs it goes to detailed metrology.

What it saves – a worked example

The most common question is not “how does it work” but “how much will it save us”. That can be calculated before you buy. The model below is based on a mid-sized engineering company inspecting weldments before assembly.

The model counts only inspector time saved, at an hourly rate of EUR 24. It excludes savings from catching non-conformities earlier – less rework, fewer complaints and less downtime in assembly – which in practice tends to be the larger item.

A payback calculation is a standard part of our proposal. We build the model on your numbers – how many inspections, how long they take, what kind of parts – and add licence, hardware and training costs. For customers who inspect regularly and in volume, payback is typically a matter of months.

What about 3D scanning?

We get asked this by almost everyone, and many of our projects run at companies that already own a scanner. These are not competing methods – they answer different questions.

A 3D scan tells you by how much the part differs from the model. Twyn does not compete with that and is not meant to. Twyn answers whether the part is correct: whether anything is missing, whether anything is swapped, whether holes and welded features are where they should be, and whether this is the right variant of the part.

The difference is mainly the cost of a single inspection. Scanning means preparing the part, the scan itself, evaluation and a trained operator – on large weldments easily several hours. Twyn is handled by a shop-floor operator in minutes, without any metrology background.

In practice Twyn catches the vast majority of non-conformities right away, and only what really needs numbers goes to the scanner or the measuring room – a complaint, a disputed part, the release of a new series.

If you are weighing up whether AR inspection, scanning, or a combination of both fits your specific part, we will go through it with you.

What AYES delivers

Twyn is software. For it to work in production, the data preparation, hardware, processes and people all have to fit together. That is the part we handle.

• Partnership with Visometry. We supply Twyn and VisionLib as the highest certified partner of the manufacturer in the region, including licences, updates and support.
• Process review and business case. Before software comes into it, we go through your inspection processes with you and calculate where and how much AR actually saves. The output is something you can take to management.
• Pilot on your own part. First we verify on your data and your part whether AR makes sense in your specific case. Only then does purchasing come up.
• Rental as a service. You do not have to buy anything to try it in production. We supply the complete set – licences, tablet and accessories – as a service for the duration of the trial. The investment comes only once you know it works for you.
• CAD data preparation. We have dozens of projects with 3D data for AR and VR behind us. We know how to prepare a model so that tracking holds and the app stays responsive.
• Hardware and device management. Tablets, protective cases, mounts, enrolment into your device management.
• Training and methodology. We train both the engineers who build inspection projects and the operators who use them on the floor.
• Support in English, Czech and Slovak. No intermediary and no waiting for an answer from abroad. We serve international groups across their sites.
• Development on VisionLib. If standard Twyn does not cover your case, we can build a custom AR application directly on the VisionLib tracking engine.
• Fits the rest of your digitalisation. AR inspection is usually one piece of the puzzle. We complement it with digital work instructions, remote support through smart glasses and fully automated inspection using machine vision.

References

We have AR quality inspection deployed at dozens of customers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia – from engineering companies through transport equipment manufacturers to automotive suppliers. They include Bednar FMT, one of the world’s agricultural machinery manufacturers, where inspection runs on tablets directly in production, as well as SOR Libchavy, DAKO-CZ and MCE Slaný. In every case these were parts and assemblies where conventional measurement is slow, expensive, or runs into the sheer size of the product.

How to start

1. A no-obligation meeting, online or at your site. We go through your inspection processes, show what the technology can do, and tell you straight where it would make sense for you and where it would not.
2. A demo on your own part. We show the inspection on your product, not on a sample model from a slide deck.
3. A pilot in production. You try the inspection on a real order – licences and hardware can be provided as a service for the trial – and we evaluate the benefit together.

Wondering whether AR inspection would work for you? Get in touch – we will go through one specific part together and tell you what to expect from Twyn and what not to.

Get in touch

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is Twyn?

Twyn is a tool for visual comparison, not a replacement for a coordinate measuring machine. It reliably reveals missing and misplaced components, shifted holes, incorrectly welded features or the wrong part variant. Certified measurement of tight tolerances stays with metrology.

Will Twyn replace a 3D scanner?

No, it solves a different task. A scanner measures deviations in numbers; Twyn verifies completeness and correctness in minutes and without a metrologist. Customers who have both use Twyn to catch most non-conformities immediately, and send to the scanner only what requires exact values.

Where is our design data stored?

The inspection runs offline, on the tablet itself, so data never has to leave your network. Visometry also holds the TISAX certification, the security standard required across the automotive industry.

What device does Twyn run on?

The Twyn View inspection app runs on iPads; project preparation in Twyn Studio runs on a standard work PC.

Do we have to mark the parts somehow?

No. Recognition works from the geometry of the CAD model – no markers or stickers needed.

What CAD data do we need?

Common industrial formats such as JT, STEP, CATIA or IGES. The model is optimised inside Twyn Studio, no additional software required.

How long does training take?

Using the app requires no metrology or AR background. An inspector is trained in a matter of hours; preparing engineers to build inspection projects takes longer.

Can we try Twyn out?

Yes, a trial version and a demo on your own part are both available. For longer evaluation in production we can provide licences and the tablet on a rental basis, so nothing has to be bought up front. Get in touch and we will arrange a date.