Polyworks to Interface Directly With Metris Handheld Laser Scanners

Metris will introduce its range of handheld 3D laser scanning solutions integrated into PolyWorks point cloud engineering software. This solution enables design and manufacturing professionals to take full advantage of using top-class Metris scanners in combination with leading point cloud analysis software to tackle inspection or reverse engineering tasks. Thanks to the new application programming interface (API), it becomes very straightforward for 3rd-party software vendors to integrate Metris 3D laser scanning.

Collecting geometry data with Metris’ leading-edge laser scanners becomes very easy for PolyWorks users. Completely transparent to PolyWorks users, Focus Handheld Scanning API manages point cloud acquisition by controlling all interaction between the laser scanner and handheld localizer of choice. Also modifying scanner parameters or running a qualification routine is handled by the Focus API, ensuring the highest accuracy and reliability of the acquired data. The resulting data is automatically stored in PolyWorks format and ready for further extensive point cloud processing.

Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric Software, commented, “Major OEMs in the automotive and aerospace industries are relying on us to integrate industrial-strength point cloud digitizers and tactile probing devices within the PolyWorks universal platform. As Metris laser scanners, articulated arms, and optical tracking technologies have recently gained more market recognition, it was a logical step for us to develop software plug-ins for all of these instruments.”

The Focus Handheld API supports Metris ModelMaker in combination with K-Series Optical CMM as well as MCA Manual Coordinate Measuring Arm or 3rd‑party measuring arms such as Faro. Metris’ digital laser scanners offer superior optical and digital technology, translating into higher accuracy, automatic laser intensity adaptation and faster data acquisition.

With the new API, it becomes very straightforward for 3rd-party point cloud software vendors to integrate Metris 3D laser scanning. Over the next few months, users of NRK Spatial Analyzer, Delcam PowerINSPECT, Metrolog and other point cloud software will be able to use their Metris handheld scanners directly from within these applications. This provides design and manufacturing engineers fast-lane access to world-class laser scanning, while enjoying the convenience of the point cloud engineering environment they know inside out.

Email:	sales_uk@metris.com
Web:	www.metris.com

OGP introduces smart metrology concept

OGP has introduced its smart metrology concept, which is derived from the company's Smartscope range of multi-probe measuring systems.

Smart metrology represents OGP measuring systems that provide users with the required intelligence to adjust and control manufacturing processes via the presentation of easy-to-interpret measurement data.

The company claims that there are many measuring machines on the market capable of finding out-of-tolerance components that inevitably get designated as expensive rework or scrap.

However, by applying the concept of smart metrology, users can 'short cut' directly to any underlying problems in the manufacturing process that might be causing discrepancies.

While the latest OGP systems offer a range of multi-probe options, including touch, video and laser, measurement technology is said to be more than simply probes and sensors.

For instance, in terms of hardware, a rigid and well-engineered metrology frame is essential to carry the metrology devices (which must be calibrated within the system) and to help attain repeatable, reliable and accurate data.

For manufacturers that want to reduce statistical 'noise' (quantities of unexplained variation found in sample measurement), smart metrology solutions can help users to monitor data and discover what needs to be done in order to hold manufacturing processes at nominal.

Novel software presents measurement data in 'layman' terms, deskilling the task of process interrogation.

The report format allows customers to adjust manufacturing processes so that not only is scrap controlled immediately but the amount of inspection required is also reduced, thereby introducing direct savings to the bottom line.

According to the company, it frequently encounters manufacturers enduring +/-30 per cent statistical noise, where peak-to-peak values quantify scrap components.

However, using the concept of smart metrology, it is said to be possible to reduce noise to within +/-10 per cent - a figure targeted by manufacturers operating in demanding sectors such as automotive.

For example, the deployment of OGP's Smartscope multi-probe technology to measure cylinder heads is proving particularly effective.

Using a single system operating in a single temperature environment, measuring machine operators have the ability to switch between touch, video and laser probes/sensors without physical changeover, handling or the need to reset any alignments.

Conventional camera-based measuring systems with added laser technology have left many users dissatisfied as a result of the inevitable compromise to the working distance of the optics, leaving their true potential unfulfilled.

However, Smartscope CNC measuring machines are claimed to negate this issue thanks to the proprietary Telestar through-the-lens (TTL) laser.

TTL means that there is no offset between the laser and the optics, allowing users to measure recesses up to 200mm deep without obstruction issues.

Telestar can still measure when its path is blocked by up to 60 per cent.

Hexagon Metrology Releases New CMM Options - Brown and Sharpe Global Classic with Analog Scanning Option

North Kingstown, RI – Sept 23, 2009 - Hexagon Metrology Inc. announced today at the Quality Expo in Rosemont IL, the immediate availability of analog scanning packages on entry level Brown & Sharpe Global Classic Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs). Scanning packages are available with the Leitz LSP-X1c fixed head scanning probe, as well as LSP-X1s and LSP-X1m probes coupled with the TESAStar-m motorized articulating head.

“The Brown & Share brand has always been associated with great price to performance value,” said Eric Bennett, product manager for Brown & Sharpe bridge CMMs. “The release of the in-house produced Leitz LSP-X1c probe has given us the capability to offer a practical entry-level scanning solution on the entry-level Global Classic platform. Analog scanning was previously only available on the highest performing Performance or Advantage package levels in the Global range.The Global Classic option will be ideal for companies looking to add basic, yet capable analog scanning to their part inspection plans.”

The Global Classic with analog scanning option is immediately available on North American Global CMM shipments from Hexagon Metrology’s state-of-the-art Rhode Island factory. For more information, please visit www.BrownandSharpe.com .

*About Hexagon Metrology*

Hexagon Metrology is part of the Hexagon AB Group and includes leading metrology brands such as Brown & Sharpe, CogniTens, DEA, Leica Geosystems (Metrology Division), Leitz, m&h, PC-DMIS, QUINDOS, ROMER, Sheffield and TESA. Hexagon Metrology brands represent an unrivaled global installed base of millions of CMMs, portable measuring systems and handheld instruments, and tens of thousands of metrology software licenses. Hexagon Metrology empowers its customers to fully control manufacturing processes that rely on dimensional precision, ensuring that products manufactured precisely conform to the original product design. The company offering of machines, systems and software is complemented by a wide range of product support, aftermarket and value-added services. More information can be found at www.HexagonMetrology.us

Fully Automated Surface Finish Inspection with New Probe Option from Renishaw

Renishaw has added a new probe option for its revolutionary REVO five-axis measurement system, which for the first time, allows surface finish inspection to be fully integrated within CMM measurement routines.

REVO® surface finish probe

With a measurement capability of 6.3 to 0.05 Ra, the SFP1 surface finish probe provides a unique 'single platform' that will eliminate the need for hand-held sensors, or the necessity to move parts to costly dedicated surface finish measuring machines, reducing labour costs and inspection lead times. CMM users will now be able to automatically switch between part scanning and surface finish measurement, with analysis all contained in a single measurement report.

High quality surface finish data

As a fully integrated option for the REVO 5-axis measurement system, users of the SFP1 surface finish probe will benefit from a range of powerful features that will boost inspection speed and flexibility.

The probe incorporates a C axis, which combined with the infinite positioning capability of the REVO measuring head and a choice of stylus holders, allows the probe tip to be automatically orientated to any angle to suit the part, ensuring that the highest quality surface data is acquired. The SFP1 is supplied with two dedicated stylus holders, the SFS-1 straight stylus and SFS-2 cranked stylus, which are selected under full measurement program control using the REVO system's modular rack system (MRS). This enables flexible access to component features combined with the consistency of a fully-automated CNC methodology.

Automated surface finish probe calibration

Calibration of the sensor is also automated and carried out within a CMM software programme. A new surface finish calibration artefact (SFA) is mounted on the MRS rack and is measured using the SFP1 probe. Software then adjusts parameters within the probe in accordance with the artefact's calibrated value.

A skidded probe type with a 2 µm (0.000079 in) tip radius diamond stylus, the SFP1 surface finish probe outputs Ra, RMS and raw data formats to the metrology application client software via Renishaw's UCCServer software using the I++ DME protocol. The raw data can subsequently be presented to specialist surface analysis software packages for further detailed reporting.

MEDICAL COMPONENTS MANUFACTURER, TOMZ CORPORATION, ADDS NEW WENZEL CMM WITH OPENDMIS™ SOFTWARE

Unfavorable experience with PCDMIS software upgrading, led Connecticut precision CNC machining company, Tomz Corporation, to purchase a new Wenzel machine with new OpenDMIS software.

Tomz Corporation is a leading supplier of precision CNC machined titanium, cobalt, stainless steel, aluminum and plastic for the medical industry. Surgical instrumentation, medical tooling and implants make up the bulk of the medical products Tomz manufacturers to TS16949 standards. In process inspection by CMMs is a necessary component of the manufacturing process to not only insure the resulting quality, but to insure a level of dimensional integrity that minimizes scrap….and ultimately the profitability of the contract.

Gary Labbe, president of the Tomz Corporation Plastics Division says, “We have been using two CMMs for over ten years to measure and report the quality on the series of acrylic plastic parts that we manufacture for a variety of blood analyzer and dialysis machines. In that time, we have attempted to advance and improve the operation of those machines by upgrading with new software. Our experience with that process has been mixed. One of our CMMs is a Brown & Sharpe Model DEA Mistral that we upgraded with new PCDMIS software. The software upgrade never materialized like we expected and it became a time-consuming and irritating issue because we were not able to convert our part programs to the new versions and our computers kept crashing. Ultimately we had to maintain three different versions on two different PCs which just weren’t working. We made the decision to take a new approach and purchase a new machine with new software. After a thorough benchmarking search, we settled on a Wenzel LH 6.7.5 with a SP25 scanning head, OpenDMIS™ software, and a broad service package from Wenzel/Xspect Solutions, Inc. We have been very pleased with the speed and scanning ability of the Wenzel machine.”

Labbe explains, “What we were very impressed with was the package that Wenzel/Xspect Solutions offered us. They examined our current situation and focused on trying to utilize the best of what we had and combine it with the new Wenzel machine. For example, the dimensioning and tolerances of the part prints that we receive from our customers were designed for use with PCDMIS. That presented some issues with respect to inputting the true-position of form tolerances on some part programs. Xspect Solutions built a software patch that could accommodate those issues and make them fully operational with OpenDMIS. This took just a few days to complete. This was necessary because our original DMIS software had a few commands interpreted differently to the current 5.0 standard. Because our programs had been originally created in pure native DMIS code, transition to a new CMM could have been very painful. However, what we discovered was that programming in the universal ISO Standard CMM language of DMIS is both technologically and vendor independent. The DMIS Standard works…and while many CMM purchase decisions are taken without any thought towards what will happen to the CMM in the future, DMIS offers the only long-term seamless and guaranteed migration path. At the end of the day, the CMM structure and the part programs will outlive the CMM software, so portability is critical over the long haul.”

The Wenzel LH 6.7.5 is a CNC bridge type CMM with a Renishaw scanning probe system. The machine has a measuring range of 650 x 750 x 500 mm. The machine features a Y-axis that is machined directly into the impala black granite base plate providing optimal long-term accuracy and stability. The X and Y axis guide-ways are bellows protected against contamination. High-speed dynamic servo drives with position monitoring provide the axes movement. A compact HT 400 joystick teach-pendant control is provided for inputting mouse-like function. It also has context-sensitive function buttons with two-stage speed selection and variable speed adjustment in all operation modes which results in sensitive movement via joystick or for CNC programming debugging.

Wenzel GmbH is the 4th largest CMM builder in the world and manufacturers its CMMs intrinsically accurate, negating the need for the huge error compensation files to achieve quoted accuracies, which have become the norm in past years from most CMM manufacturers. The black granite used on Wenzel CMMs is processed in-house at their impressive manufacturing facilities in Germany, not imported from China pre-finished…which is now the industry norm.

Xspect Solutions, Inc. headquartered in Wixom, Michigan, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wenzel GmbH of Germany. Xspect Solutions is the Number 3 supplier of CMMs in the North American metrology market including; new Wenzel CMMs, and is the world’s largest supplier of pre-owned CMM equipment. Xspect Solutions also supplies new Wenzel CMMs and GMMs (Gear Measuring Machines) as well as its OpenDMIS software to the North American markets.

NVision to Host Webinar on Reverse Engineering

(September 22, 2009) - NVision Inc., a leader in 3D non-contact optical scanning for over 19 years, will host a Webinar on reverse engineering. The hour-long event will take place on Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Those wishing to attend this Webinar can sign up at http://webinars.qualitymag.com.

About the Webinar:

Today’s optical scanning technologies offer manufacturers unheard-of levels of accuracy and speed in reverse engineering and inspection of parts and assemblies - regardless of their size, geometric complexity or surface finish. Many of those who could benefit from optical scanning are often not aware of the latest technological advancements and their potential for significantly reducing production time and costs – key competitive factors in today’s tough economic environment. This Webinar will show attendees how NVision’s cutting-edge scanning technology can not only produce a higher-quality product – but do it while significantly shaving costs and time-to-market.

Attendees will find out how:

• Soft Air USA®, Inc. reduced the time to market for its replica guns by four weeks.
• A major turbine manufacturer reduced inspection time by 83%.
• The Air Force reduced simulated jet ejector seats costs by 75%.
• and many other real-world examples.

The scanning technologies to be discussed include:

• The MAXOS, a new system that uses a concentrated light to make measurements rather than a touch probe, which allows users to measure complex geometry - even if it has a shiny surface - without the need for spraying. The MAXOS is also unaffected by the limitations of ball radius compensation from which traditional CMMs suffer. It can measure radii down to 0.1 mm with an accuracy of +/- 2 microns.

• The MobileScan, a laser system that is automatically controlled to follow a pre-defined measurement strategy. This means that the scanner can be left alone to scan production items without the constant attention that is required by a handheld device. MobileScan connects easily to a standard notebook computer via USB or Firewire and comes integrated with computer-aided inspection software that automatically processes scan data from a physical part to generate highly accurate polygon and parametric surface models.

• The HandHeld scanner, a powerful portable scanning device that captures 3D geometry. The scanner is attached to a mechanical arm that moves about the object, freeing the user to capture data rapidly and with high resolution. An optional tripod provides complete portability in the field. Intuitive software allows full model editing, polygon reduction, and data output to all standard 3D packages.

Go to http://webinars.qualitymag.com to sign up for this event, or contact NVision, Inc. for more information: Ph: 972.393.8000, E-mail: sales@nvision3d.com, Web site: http://www.nvision3d.com.


About NVision
NVision, Inc. (www.nvision3d.com) was established in 1990 with one goal in mind: to provide customers with the highest accuracy non-contact optical measurement systems and services for Reverse Engineering and Inspection. Focusing our expertise on the aerospace, power generation, and oil/gas industries, NVision provides both contract scanning services and systems sales to companies throughout North America. Our elite team of engineers provides customers with an unmatchable level of experience and is able to advise and assist with the most difficult engineering challenges.

NVision’s clients include industry leaders such as Alstom, Boeing, GE, Lockheed, Lear, NASA, Porsche, Raytheon, Siemens, Toyota, and every branch of the U.S. military.

WENZEL GEARTEC TO EXHIBIT NEW HYBRID CMM AND GEAR MEASURING MACHINE AT GEAR EXPO

Unique new Wenzel CMM and gear measuring machine has been designed specifically to measure the large gears and pinions used in the wind energy industry.

“Wenzel Geartec will be introducing a unique new hybrid gear measuring machine at the Gear Expo in Indianapolis September 15-18 2009”, says Keith Mills, president of Xspect Solutions, Inc. the wholly owned subsidiary of Wenzel GmbH of Germany.

Mills explains, “Wenzel has developed this machine to specifically meet the demand of the wind energy gear manufacturing community where large internal and external gears and pinions require highly accurate measuring as well as traditional CMM measuring of prismatic parts. Traditional gear inspection machines are typically mechanical bearing devices with horizontal arms holding the scanning probe. To simply expand this type of machine design concept, that was originally developed to measure 500mm diameter gears, and apply it to 2500mm diameter gears, doesn’t work. For that reason, Wenzel has developed this new hybrid machine design that uses an all-granite, air bearing structure, with a bridge-type construction so the probe can provide a much higher level of dynamics and scanning performance with no mechanical bearing wear over time. In addition, the machine requires no special foundation. ”

The Hybrid LHGT 2600 machine, Fig. 1, has a prismatic measuring volume of 1500mm x 2500mm x 1200mm with an imbedded hydrostatic rotary table flush-mounted inside an Impala black granite machine base. The table and fixture can measure and support gears up to 2600mm diameter and weighing up to 20,000lbs. A removable tailstock column can also be mounted on the base to measure and support pinion gear shafts up to 1900mm in length, Fig. 2. The machine uses Renishaw SP80 scanning technology.

Mills adds, “We have currently sold three of these new LHGT 2600 hybrid machines…one in Europe and two here in the United States.”

Xspect Solutions, Inc. headquartered in Wixom, Michigan, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wenzel GmbH of Germany. Xspect Solutions is the Number 3 supplier of CMMs and GMMs (Gear Measuring Machines) in the North American metrology market including; new Wenzel CMMs and GMMs, and is the world’s largest supplier of pre-owned CMM equipment. Xspect Solutions also supplies new Wenzel CMMs and GMMS with its OpenDMIS software to the North American markets.

Wenzel GmbH manufacturers its products intrinsically accurate, negating the need for the huge error compensation files to achieve quoted accuracies which have become the norm for most manufacturers in past years. The black granite used by Wenzel is processed in-house at their impressive manufacturing facilities in Germany, not imported from China

pre-finished…which in now the industry norm.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Statement on President Obama’s Intent to Nominate Patrick Gallagher as Director of the National Institute of Standa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2009

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Statement on President Obama’s Intent to Nominate Patrick Gallagher as Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama today announced his intent to nominate physicist Patrick Gallagher to be the 14th director of the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Gallagher, 46, is currently the NIST deputy director.

“NIST is a unique agency with a strong culture of world-class scientific achievement,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Pat Gallagher has come up through the ranks and his continued leadership will be critical to an agency that is central to the nation’s ability to innovate and compete in global markets.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Gallagher will direct an agency with an annual budget of approximately $800 million that employs approximately 2,900 scientists, engineers, technicians, support staff and administrative personnel at two primary locations: Gaithersburg, Md., and Boulder, Colo. Gallagher will succeed William Jeffrey, who left NIST in 2007.

Though perhaps most widely known as the civilian provider of the nation’s standard time service, NIST also conducts research in measurement science, standards, and related technologies spanning all physical sciences, engineering and information technology.

The agency also is home to the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a nationwide network of local centers offering technical and business assistance to smaller manufacturers; the Technology Innovation Program, which provides cost-shared awards to industry, universities and consortia for research on potentially revolutionary technologies that address critical national and societal needs; and the Baldrige National Quality Program, which promotes performance excellence among U.S. manufacturers, service companies, educational institutions, health care providers and nonprofit organizations.

Gallagher, who has a doctorate in physics from the University of Pittsburgh, came to the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) in 1993 to pursue research in neutron and X-ray instrumentation and studies of soft-condensed matter systems such as liquids, polymers and gels.

In 2000, Gallagher was a NIST agency representative at the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and became active in U.S. policy for scientific user facilities. In 2006, he was awarded a Department of Commerce Gold Medal, the department’s highest award, in recognition of this work. In 2004, he became director of the NCNR, a national user facility for neutron research that is considered one of the most productive and heavily used facilities of its type in the nation. In September 2008, he was appointed deputy director of NIST.

Gallagher is active in a variety of professional organizations and is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Founded in 1901, NIST is a nonregulatory agency of the Commerce Department that promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life

New Optical Metrology Company Releases Its First Product

(Nanowerk News) Zemetrics, an optical metrology product company founded last year to provide new concept surface metrology systems, has brought its first system, ZeMapper, to the precision engineering and R&D market.

Zemetrics ZeMapper - The ZeMapper interferometric optical profiler provides three-dimensional surface maps with the highest lateral and vertical resolution in a user-friendly automated process. Its large image sensor of 4 mega-pixels combines a large field of view with high resolution, unmatched in any commercial profiler. Advanced processing of the interferometric data leads to rapid precision measurements with sub-Angstrom repeatability. Designed for ultra-precision metrology, the instrument has been beta-tested by research customers, and is now in production.
ZeMapper is expected to fill unmet needs in surface mapping among users that need non-destructive, non-contact areal measurements with high resolution and repeatability in applications such as defect review, surface characterization and volume displacement for data storage, optics, MEMS, tribology, material and biological sciences.

The ZeMaps acquisition and analysis software, included with ZeMapper, is optimized for the most powerful multiple processors, operating in 64-bit address space computing environment. Built-in reporting, animated 3D mapping, and zooming plots provide volumetric calculations, line profile cross-sections, and tabular 3D surface measurement parameters such as peak-to-valley, roughness (Sa), and area step heights.

About Zemetrics
Zemetrics, a corporate member of both OSA and SPIE, is a privately owned company. Offices are located in Tucson, Arizona. Its founders come from the optical surface metrology industry, and are experienced optical, mechanical and software designers. The company can be contacted through the web site (www.zemetrics.com), by phone (520/202-4399), or by email (info@zemetrics.com).
Source: Zemetrics (press release)

Leica ScanStation C10 - the next-generation Laser Scanner

Heerbrugg,--Leica Geosystems announces the completely new Leica ScanStation C10, the company’s biggest leap forward yet in laser scanners for as-built and topographic surveys. The compact, all-in-one Leica ScanStation C10 provides users with a combination of even greater versatility, reduced cost of ownership, and even higher productivity for scanning. These advances not only address today’s scanning professionals, but also address organizations wanting to enter into laser scanning to diversify and/or improve their current business.

Leica ScanStation C10 is a fully integrated, cable-less system; it does full dome scans up to 10 times faster than its predecessor – for example, a typical room scan now takes less than two minutes. The scanner has an easy-to-learn, surveyor-friendly onboard interface with high-resolution, color touch screen and integrated, high-resolution zoom camera/video. It features a dual-axis compensator, laser plummet and tribrach mount for quick setup over a known point; and, it interfaces to standard survey accessories such as TPS batteries, total station prisms, and even the Leica GPS SmartAntenna. Thus, even surveyors new to High-Definition Surveying™(HDS™) will find it easy to learn and work with the Leica ScanStation C10.

Leica ScanStation C10’s onboard software makes users even more efficient, plus the system is designed to be upgraded over time with increasing functionality - all in this smaller and lighter instrument. “This is the type of instrument that is truly worthy of being called ‘Leica Geosystems’ next-generation scanner’. Leica ScanStation C10 will no doubt reinforce our reputation for innovation and leadership in High-Definition Surveying,” states Dr. Juergen Dold, President of Leica Geosystems’ Geospatial Solutions Division. “From a value, versatility and productivity standpoint, the all-in-one Leica ScanStation C10 is ideal for organizations wanting to get into scanning or organizations wanting to add a more versatile and productive scanner to their existing fleet.”

Pricing & Availability

Leica ScanStation C10 is planned to be available for shipment in September 2009. Leica Cyclone v7.0 is being announced simultaneously as companion software for operating Leica ScanStation C10 and all other Leica Geosystems HDS scanners. Pricing information is available via authorized Leica Geosystems representatives.

Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right

With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.

Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3’500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.

For further information please contact:

Leica Geosystems HDS LLC

Geoffrey Jacobs

Phone direct 1-925-790-2317

Fax 1-925-790-2309

Renishaw's New OMV Software

Optional multi-axis module includes new auto-orient function to eliminate manual probe orientation

Renishaw is introducing a new version of its OMV Pro software that includes more advanced co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) style capabilities with an extended range of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) functionality, plus the ability to work with multiple alignments in a single program, an advantage in working with multi-axis machine tools.

Now supporting Microsoft Windows Vista, the new OMV Pro 2.02 allows users of machine tool touch probes to quickly verify the accuracy of freeform and prismatic parts without removing the part from the machine.

The software includes simulation capability, an intuitive graphical interface and crystal-clear reporting format that make it accessible to shop-floor staff. By enabling users to see exactly what was cut, OMV Pro allows corrections to be made before the part leaves the machine.

Enhanced Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T)

New features in OMV Pro 2.02 enhance the software’s geometric measurement capabilities, which already include a "constructed features" function that allows users to construct entities from other previously measured features, making it faster to measure components with a large number of prismatic features or perform complex prismatic measurements.

The new version of OMV Pro has been improved with GD&T functionality for perpendicularity, parallelism, angularity, linear dimension, surface profile, line profile and concentricity.

OMV Pro's GD&T measurement wizard helps users create standardized report elements based on internationally recognized symbols, allowing operators to compare part measurement results on the machine with those on the manufacturing drawing.

Upgrades For Multi-Axis Machining

Measured alignment, used by OMV Pro to guarantee accurate measurement results, has been upgraded to use two or more alignments in a program, a significant benefit to users working with multi-axis machines or with large or flexible components.

The optional multi-axis module of OMV Pro also now includes an ‘Auto Orient’ function that allows the touch probe to be automatically oriented into a suitable measuring position, without requiring the user to manually input the required angle. The multi-axis module performs full machine simulation of touch-probe routines, an advantage when developing programs for complex geometries, common in multi-axis machining environments. The software quickly simulates and detects collisions involving the part, machine, or probe, before running the program, avoiding costly breakages and machine downtime.

Configurable Measurement Reports

Graphical and numerical reports are configurable, allowing feature parameters to be toleranced and displayed. Graphical reports can display values using color-coded surface "confetti" points, call-out labels or in-place values. Labels can now be positioned manually and their orientation is user-configurable, while a "Screen shot" function has been improved to allow the size of the resulting image to be configured.

For more information visit www.renishaw.com