Wear Analysis of 3D-Printed Spur and Herringbone Gears Used in Automated Retail Kiosks Based on Computer Vision and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Additive manufacturing (AM) offers novel possibilities for producing mechanical components.
• Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PET-G) is a common filament for AM applications.
• The long-term durability of AM parts in demanding applications requires thorough evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the wear performance of 3D-printed spur and herringbone gears made from PET-G.
• To determine the suitability of these gears for sustained use in automated retail kiosks.
• To develop and validate methods for identifying wear in 3D-printed gears.

Main Methods:

• Destructive testing involving vision-based inspection of gear cross-sectional geometry after resin encasing and cutting.
• Non-destructive testing through statistical characterization of kinematic parameters and drive torques.
• Experimental validation under real industrial conditions using batch-produced parts.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the effectiveness of vision-based geometric characterization for identifying wear-induced shape evolution in 3D-printed gears.
• Identified useful kinematic and torque-based indicators for tracking gear wear non-destructively.
• Confirmed the practical applicability of the destructive testing technique for wear assessment in industrial settings.

Conclusions:

• 3D-printed PET-G gears show promise for long-term exploitation in specific mechanical systems like automated retail kiosks.
• The presented destructive testing methodology provides valid indices for wear identification in AM parts.
• The study contributes a novel approach to evaluating the durability of 3D-printed components through geometric analysis.