DEVELOPMENT OF PRINTED SENSOR FOR GEAR HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop smart sensor systems for detecting gear failure signs. This study proposes a new method to manufacture sensors which enable physical conditions of gears to be measured directly. In the proposed method, a laser beam machine sinters conductive inks, which sprayed on gear surfaces, as sensors. For this purpose, we have developed a three-axis laser-printing machine, which could sinter the conductive ink sprayed on tooth roots of gears. The developed three-axis laser printer was based on a three-axis CNC machine, and a 1.6 W laser module (445 nm wave length) was mounted on the principal axis of the CNC machine. However, the laser power was not enough for sintering the conductive ink sprayed on a 5-micrometer-thick polyimide as an insulated layer on steel plates. Thus, the 1.6 W laser module is replaced with a 3.5 W laser module, which has the same wavelength. This paper shows laser sintering conditions for the new laser module. In addition, a simple sensor, which is able to detect cracks at roots of gear teeth, is proposed. The sensor is formed of an involute spur gear. The electrical property, such as resistance, of the proposed crack sensors was investigated in this paper, and it was concluded that the relation between the property and module was linear.