# Effect of Augmented Reality Support on Quality Inspection of Welded Structures
## 1 Introduction  
This research explores the potential of combining Augmented Reality (AR) technology and the visual inspection of weldments in manufacturing. AR is an advanced interactive technology that augments the real world with virtual objects that seem to exist in the same environment and works interactively in real time. With the use of AR technologies, people can access digital data through a layer of information placed over the real environment. In recent years, current hardware (HW) and software (SW) tools have significantly advanced, making this technology more widely available. The rise in recent years in the volume of scientific papers is also consistent with this trend. Due to its capacity to offer an interactive interface for visually represented digital content, augmented reality has begun to find applications in a number of industrial fields, proving the significance of this technology. Augmented reality can provide functional tools that support users in performing tasks, and facilitate data visualisation and interaction by linking physical real space and user perception. Quality inspection is an essential part of quality management in manufacturing. It is demanding on operators, particularly their continuous attention to detail. Manufacturing faces numerous obstacles as a result of global market developments. Companies are constantly under pressure to increase their productivity, ensure flawless quality, high flexibility, and yet with minimum costs to maintain their market position. One of the tools to achieve this is, among other things, the in-depth monitoring of inspection processes and the digitisation and analysis of available standardised data. The increase in complexity and variability in industry demands a corresponding process adaptation, resulting in frequent changes in manufacturing inspection [1]. In order for companies to adapt to changes in the market, the necessary changes must be introduced into production processes in a flexible and effective manner [2]. In modern manufacturing processes, the importance of quality inspection cannot be underestimated. Inspection procedures are crucial in production systems since no system is flawless [3]. In the context of quality management, companies tend to use the quality control process to find any deviations before delivering the product to the customer [4]. Ineffective or under-qualified welding inspection can lead to the risk of serious failures due to low welding quality. The consequences of such failures can be very severe, as described in several recent studies [5; 6]. In their study of reconfigurable production systems, [PERSON] et al. [7] concluded that quality gates for inspection can be inserted immediately during the various production stages to guarantee product quality. Operators or inspectors undertake quality control when they verify their work while it is being performed or when they check previously completed work to ensure its quality. To maintain or increase productivity and save costs, quality gates are used to stop the spread of defective items to other production stages [8]. In general, the inspection procedure calls for a high level of expertise and concentration. It must be carried out by an experienced worker with expert knowledge and the ability to interpret even complex documentation. Generally, operators are able to handle unpredictable situations well, adapt, and be flexible under different conditions using, among other things, tacit knowledge [9]. However, despite the high qualifications of these specialists, it is always based on the inspector's subjective assessment and therefore represents a relatively high mental workload for the inspector. The level of concentration can thus fluctuate. Also, as in other industries, the generation of experienced workers is aging, and new workers are hard to find and slow to train to the level required for independent decision making. The inspection process in general does not add value to the product.