Verisurf Software and Nikon Metrology Announce Global OEM Agreement

Verisurf’s Enterprise Metrology Platform to Drive All Nikon Portable Metrology Devices

Nikon Metrology and Verisurf Software have made it possible for manufacturers to drive all Nikon portable metrology devices from Verisurf’s common software platform. Supported Nikon metrology devices include Laser Radar, K-Series optical CMMs configured with scanners and probes, MCA II articulated arm configured with scanners and probes, and the iGPS.

“Verisurf is proud to partner with Nikon and offer engineers a major breakthrough in measurement and inspection,” said Ernie Husted, president of Verisurf. “Having advanced inspection software that drives all of their metrology devices will dramatically increase their customer’s manufacturing efficiency by saving countless hours learning and using multiple software interfaces, while significantly reducing software maintenance and technical support costs across their enterprise.”

“This partnership is a huge benefit to our metrology customers,” said Doug Kappler, Director of Nikon Metrology Large Scale Division. “In addition to being able to offer a single software platform for all Nikon portable metrology devices, the software provides fully automated and programmable measurements.”

Under the terms of the global OEM agreement Nikon will sell, market, train and support Verisurf software when bundled with Nikon Metrology devices.

Verisurf’s new X platform is the latest release of its popular computer aided inspection and reverse engineering software. The X platform gives engineers unprecedented value with new device interfaces, improved inspection guidance functionality and feature extraction for reverse engineering. An updated VDI has added many new non-contact measurement and automation controls for the Nikon Metrology Laser Radar, enabling this sophisticated metrology device to perform at its highest level.

Verisurf Software, Inc.

Verisurf Software, Inc. is a privately held metrology software development company committed to delivering advanced computer-aided inspection and reverse engineering solutions. Verisurf software lets manufacturers produce higher quality products in less time and at a lower cost by using highly automated paperless, 3D model-based inspection processes, rather than hand measurements and 2D paper drawings. For more information, visit www.verisurf.com.

Nikon Metrology, Inc.

Nikon Metrology, Inc. is a division of NIKON CORPORATION (JSX:7731) and offers the most complete and innovative metrology product portfolio, including state-of-the-art vision measuring instruments complemented with optical and mechanical 3D metrology solutions. These reliable and innovative metrology solutions respond to the advanced inspection requirements of manufacturers active in consumer, automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical and other industries. Systems are available in both fixed and portable configurations, equipped with a single or multiple sensors. Additional information about Nikon Metrology is available at www.nikonmetrology.com. Additional information about NIKON CORPORATION is available at www.nikon.com. 

Siemens PLM Software releases a dedicated blisk and impeller NC programming application

The latest addition to the NX CAM software from Siemens PLM Software, NX Turbomachinery Milling, provides faster programming for 5-axis blisk and impeller machining applications. The software includes specialized NC programming operations for 5-axis roughing and finishing of blades and hubs. NC programmers save time and effort producing collision/gouge free tool paths (up to 90% faster compared to generic CAM functions).

New features include rest milling for automated removal of remaining material from previous operations and optimized tool engagement with the part. There is no need to repair or re-model poor quality CAD data before programming. Smooth flowing 5-axis tool paths can be created directly across surface gaps, overlaps and misaligned surface parameter lines. The system takes advantage of supporting capabilities in NX CAM including G-code driven machine tool simulation and automatic tool path updates on model changes.

More information: http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/nx/nx7/CAM/turbo_mill.shtml

Sheffield Measurement Launches Endeavor 3 CMM Product Line

Next-generation CMM features new sizes, models, sensors, and greater accuracy

North Kingstown, RI – July 21, 2010 – Hexagon Metrology, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of the Endeavor 3 CMM, the next generation of their Endeavor CMM product line. This popular line of vertical coordinate measuring machines introduces new sizes, additional models, improved sensor support, and a boost in accuracy performance from the previous generation. The Endeavor 3 is designed to address a wide range of dimensional measurement requirements for the start-up manufacturer purchasing their first coordinate measuring machine, to a large manufacturing operation looking for multiple CMMs with a maximum price-to-performance ratio.

The new machine is precision manufactured at Hexagon Metrology’s headquarters factory located in Rhode Island, and is checked and certified to meet the most rigorous application test procedures required by B89 and ISO standards. Offered in two models, the Endeavor 3 is suitable for touch trigger applications, while the Endeavor 3 Plus is targeted at more demanding tactile and non-contact scanning applications. The Endeavor 3 Plus offers extensive sensor support including the Leitz LSP-X1 and LSP-X3 tactile scanning probes. In addition, the Endeavor 3 Plus supports the CMM-V and CMM-Ve vision sensors, and the ScanShark non-contact laser scanning sensor.

“The Endeavor 3 and Endeavor 3 Plus provide a great value for our customers,” remarked Hexagon Metrology Product Manager, Eric Bennett. “We have expanded the number and type of supported sensors, and now offer nine standard sizes ranging from 5.5.5 up to 12.30.10. Top that with high performance, CAD capability, and the improved accuracy needed for the ever increasing number of high-tolerance parts. This next generation product line combines the versatility of tactile scanning, non-contact scanning and optical imaging, while maintaining an extremely attractive price point.”

About Sheffield Measurement

Sheffield Measurement brings more than a century of experience to the design and manufacture of dimensional measurement products. Sheffield’s Cordax® brand CMMs have been adopted by hundreds of companies around the world for the dimensional inspection of their precision manufactured parts. More information can be found at www.SheffieldMeasurement.com.

About Hexagon Metrology

Hexagon Metrology serves the high precision measurement and inspection needs of worldwide manufacturers with its extensive line of metrology hardware, software, accessories, and customer services. The company's name-brand portfolio of quality assurance products include Brown & Sharpe, CogniTens, Leica Geosystems, ROMER, Sheffield, PC-DMIS, DEA, Leitz, and TESA. Hexagon Metrology has an unrivaled installed base of more than 1.5 million handheld, stationary and portable measurement devices, and over 30,000 seats of PC-DMIS metrology software. More information is at www.HexagonMetrology.us

The company is a subsidiary of Hexagon Measurement Technologies, a business unit of Hexagon AB (Nacka Strand, Sweden), a publicly-traded company (OMX Nordic: HEXA B). The Hexagon group consists of nearly 8,200 employees located in 30 countries.

GILES GASKELL APPOINTED NORTH AMERICAN SALES MANAGER FOR 3D IMAGING PRODUCTS FOR WENZEL/XSPECT SOLUTIONS

The appointment of Giles Gaskell as the new North American sales manager for 3D Imaging Products for Wenzel/Xspect Solutions, subsidiary of Wenzel Group GmbH, is announced by Andy Woodward, North American general manager for Wenzel/Xspect Solutions.

Andy Woodward points out, “Wenzel continues to broaden its product base through the addition of unique new 3D imaging technologies that complement Wenzel’s CMM metrology products. As a result, we are focusing new sales and marketing resources to help develop markets for these new products in North America. Giles Gaskell will be directing those efforts and brings a wealth of technical and business development experience in the areas of non-contact scanning for reverse engineering and 3D imaging technology. He has worked with many of Europe’s most prestigious design, engineering and manufacturing companies on reverse engineering and non-contact inspection projects.”

Giles Gaskell comes to Wenzel/Xspect Solutions from GKS-Laser Design, Inc. where he had been the business development manager. Prior to that time Giles had been the director of business development for NVision Inc. a manufacturer of non-contact measurement and 3D imaging hardware and software. Giles also founded 3D Scanners Ltd. a U.K. based manufacturer that introduced the first hand-held laser scanners to the U.K. market.

Mr. Gaskell is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Aston University in Birmingham, England. He is a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He and his family reside in Linden, Michigan.

Wenzel/Xspect Solutions, Inc. headquartered in Wixom, Michigan, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wenzel Group GmbH of Germany. Wenzel/Xspect Solutions is the Number 3 supplier of both traditional CMMs and GMM gear measuring machines to the North American metrology market. Wenzel/Xspect Solutions also provides a variety of unique 3D imaging technologies including the ScanTec™ non-contact white light optical measuring system, the exaCT™ integrated computed tomography workstation, MobileScan3D® mobile CNC Measurement System and the Shapetracer™ 3D laser line scanner.

Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology and Koepfer America, LLC form Business Partner Agreement

Carl Zeiss IMT and Koepfer America have formally joined with a new Business Partner Agreement for the United States and Canada. This agreement will provide improved technical and marketing support related to all areas of CMM gear metrology offered by Carl Zeiss. Recognized globally as a market leader for CMM equipment, Carl Zeiss with its partnership with Koepfer America, will expand its reach into all areas of gear metrology.

Carl Zeiss offers machines to measure both parallel axis and bevel gears from the smallest gears used in microtechnologies

up to 4m (157.5”) in diameter. This is accomplished using their GEAR PRO software package, which is both a mature and truly flexible product. In addition, prismatic features can be measured in a seamless integration with the metrology software package: CALYPSO.

Since 1989, Koepfer America has been a leader in parallel axis gear manufacturing equipment sales, service and support for North America. Koepfer is nationally recognized for its influential role with the American Gear Manufacturers Association, AMT, Euro Trans, SME and other technical groups.

CMM Quarterly

The 2010 Summer Issue of CMM Quarterly is now available

www.cmmquarterly.com/ezine

Be sure and visit our Summer 2010 Issue Sponser

Mark Boucher Consulting

“Flying Scanning” VAST Performance

5th generation of VAST scanning from Carl Zeiss: high result reliability combined with impressive speed and a clear reduction of the measuring time

Carl Zeiss now offers the 5th generation of contact scanning. The new VAST® Performance Kit is optionally available for the top-of-the-line PRISMO®, CenterMax® and GageMax® coordinate measuring machines. It incorporates various elements of optimized hardware and software to increase the performance of measurements. A new generation of active probes delivers very high speed and thus considerably improved measuring productivity. The Performance Kit offers high result reliability and a clear reduction of the measuring time for many applications.

With VAST Performance, scanning can now be meaningfully used even for features with interrupted contours. The fast stylus change further reduces the total measuring time. Simplified programming and shorter measuring times enable optimal utilization and thus the completion of more measuring jobs in less time: the productivity of the coordinate measuring machines rises significantly.

Flying scanning

The outstanding benefit of Performance Kit is the ability to scan over interrupted contours (FlyScan). In the past, 16 scanning paths were required to measure a flange that has a plane surface interrupted with boreholes. The FlyScan feature reduces this number to one. The existing method for this measurement required extensive programming that resulted in a measuring time of 75 seconds. FlyScan not only considerably simplifies programming, but the measuring time for the feature is also reduced nearly 70% to 23 seconds—with absolutely reliable measuring results.

The improvement for the measurement of a pinion is even more evident. A single-point measurement delivers a satisfactory statement, but the measuring time is at least 286 seconds, or around five minutes. Scanning with VAST Performance enables an in-depth statement on the form and diameter with a measuring time of only 71 seconds.

Faster stylus change

Productive measuring also means being able to quickly adapt to different measuring jobs. The CNC-guided stylus change on coordinate measuring machines enables the measurement of different features at different workpiece positions with the right stylus or stylus system. Included in a measuring program, the measuring machine automatically changes the stylus. The faster this occurs, the sooner the measuring program can run. The speed of the stylus change thus has a significant effect on the total measuring time of complex measuring programs and several stylus changes. Complex measuring programs often require several stylus changes.

This function has been continuously enhanced. With the QuickChange feature in the Performance Kit, Carl Zeiss has considerably reduced the time needed to change a stylus on its premium-class bridge-type measuring machines. The optimizations have lowered the time needed to change the stylus by up to 60 percent.

ANDY WOODWARD APPOINTED GENERAL MANAGER NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS FOR WENZEL/XSPECT SOLUTIONS

The appointment of Andy Woodward as the new general manager of North American Operations for Wenzel/Xspect Solutions, subsidiary of Wenzel Group GmbH, is announced by Frank Wenzel, managing director, Wenzel GmbH.


Mr. Woodward comes to Wenzel/Xspect Solutions from the UK where for the past eight years he had been managing director for Wenzel’s UK operations. For fifteen years prior to that time, Mr. Woodward worked for Hexagon Metrology, Inc. in various engineering and general management positions at Hexagon’s DEA and Brown & Sharpe operations in the UK.

Mr. Woodward says, “I intend to continue to build on the solid business model for metrology equipment and services that Xspect Solutions has created over the past six years. By combining Xspect’s broad customer base and marketing network with Wenzel’s Gear Tec gear measuring machine technology, and Wenzel’s expanding 3D scanning products, we should be able to make additional market penetration in related product and industry areas here in North America.”

Andy Woodward holds a mechanical engineering degree from Birmingham University in the UK. He and his family will be relocating to the Detroit metropolitan area.









Wenzel/Xspect Solutions, Inc. headquartered in Wixom, Michigan, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wenzel Group GmbH of Germany. Wenzel/Xspect Solutions is the Number 3 supplier of both traditional CMMs and GMM gear measuring machines to theNorth American metrology market. Wenzel/Xspect Solutions also provides a variety of unique 3D imaging technologies including the ScanTec™ non-contact white light optical measuring system, the exaCT™ integrated computed tomography workstation, MobileScan3D® mobile CNC Measurement System and the Shapetracer™ 3D laser line scanner. Wenzel/Xspect Solutions also provides OpenDMIS™, the metrology industry’s most complete open architecture metrology software.