Measuring up to 21st century measuring challenges

OVER the past 30 years, one of the most important changes in metrology has been the development of portable measuring devices that bring inspection right into the production line, as close to the part as possible. This change – sparked by the development of portable measuring arms in the early 1990s and the emergence of laser trackers shortly after – turned conventional industry inspection methods completely upside down. It also made it possible to take measurements more quickly and more often, fostering huge improvements in response time and quality. Far from the comfort of metrology labs where qualified inspectors operate digital CMMs with their heavy, stable granite table, portable measurement still face several major challenges.

For automated inspection on the production line and on the shop floor, the MetraSCAN-R robot-mounted scanner features TRUaccuracy technology and dynamic referencing

In production environments the use of portable measurement solutions meets with obstacles every day that affect results: Production equipment can generate permanent vibrations, rigid measurement system set-up is not guaranteed, temperature and humidity levels are subject to change, and user skill and experience vary.

Conventional measurement face numerous obstacles that can only be overcome by the latest in optical 3D measurement technology – such as TRUaccuracy technology and dynamic referencing in Creaform systems. These systems generate guaranteed high accuracy results regardless of the measurement environment (instability, vibrations, thermal variation, etc.) and operator skills. Gone are the days when rigid measurement set-up or measurement rooms were needed.

Arm-free measurement
The HandyPROBE portable CMM arm-free measurement system is a wireless, triangulation-based CMM. This alternative to traditional measurement arms offers complete freedom of movement and can be used for single or repeated measurements of various parts.

The CMM is tracked by C-Track dual-camera sensors that also ensure the exact localization of the HandyPROBE, perform continuous image acquisition and transmission, provide lighting of reflectors, manage exchanges with the computer and store sensor parameters. When the HandyPROBE is networked with 2 to 4 C-Tracks, the CMM gives access to C-Link. This functionality makes it possible to network with up to 4 C-Track camera sensors and operate them simultaneously with the HandyPROBE portable CMM or the MetraSCAN 3D optical 3D scanner. C-Link is a mobile measurement solution that creates a virtual measurement room in any area, in order to measure or scan complex setups, jigs, tooling or prototypes faster and easier than ever before. In combination with the VXtrack dynamic tracking module, C-Link can be used for large or complex object deformation analysis.

3D scanners & automated inspection

In addition to portable CMMs, Creaform offers a wide range of scanning solutions also featuring TRUaccuracy technology and dynamic referencing. This gives Creaform scanner users the benefit of portable measurement equipment they can simply bring to the part tAir Jordan XVIII 18