Hexagon Metrology’s Wilcox Associates Inc. released PC-DMIS 2009, the latest version of its CAD-based metrology software. PC-DMIS is an enterprise metrology solutions (EMS) suite, and the 2009 release has enhanced versions of PC-DMIS CMM and PC-DMIS Vision software; it also introduces PC-DMIS Planner and PC-DMIS Reporting Suite.
“Far from being simply an incremental release of PC-DMIS, 2009 is the culmination of development projects we have been working on for several years, and represents the tightest integration yet of the product suite,” explained the company president, Ken Woodbine. “It also brings together new hardware categories that have been added to the Hexagon Metrology group since the last major release of PC-DMIS.”
The core of EMS suite is PC-DMIS CMM, primarily for coordinate measuring machines, with a series of functional and visual improvements. A new feature is Protected Mode Execution, a “run-only” mode with password protection against all editing or changing of the program or reports. Wilcox indicates it is “ideal for the company that has a library of programs and wishes for operators to run them and interact with them without being allowed to alter them in any way,” e.g., companies with medical certification requirements, such as FDA.
Visual programming enhancements in the new version include visualization of specific move paths before and after a selected feature, visualization and animation of the machine’s working volume within the model view, and translucent clearance plane visualization. The Grid View is expanded, too, to allow points to be rapidly defined at any cross section automatically.
Other enhancements will be Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) support for all standard GD&T calculation methods, including ASME and ISO, plus additional option selections, and real-time dimensional calculation. New CAD support for the JT format is included, as well.
