Metrology Software Communicates Results in 3D

InnovMetric Software has launched the 2017 version of its PolyWorks universal 3D metrology software, which, according to the company, can increase productivity by communicating results in 3D. Using the control reviewer in PolyWorks Inspector or the free PolyWorks Viewer, measurement and manufacturing specialists can access a list of dimensional controls sorted by characteristic index for preparing first-article inspection reports and add custom controls to the list, such as those measured using manual gages. Projects can be split and grouped into control views, which are shown automatically in 3D with the correct point of view and can become multi-contextual when individual controls are tied to specific data alignments and coordinate systems. Users can search, sort and filter results and automatically generate formatted reports.

The software also provides technology for large-volume metrology applications. Users can predefine and configure a list of laser tracker devices, connect to multiple trackers simultaneously and guide assembly building in real time by switching the active tracker and feeding measured positions to digital readouts. One technique enables users to align points to geometrical characteristics of objects and control the alignment direction, weight and participation to the scaling factor computation for each pair. Surface features can also be probed before their nominal components are defined or the part is aligned to the CAD model.

A collision analysis engine enables measurement specialists to detect potential tool collisions with the part or the fixtures and see visual feedback on problematic tool paths in the Sequence Editor and the 3D Scene. The analysis is carried out in real time while the measurement sequence is created or edited, enabling operators to immediately fix problematic tool paths and avoid accumulating issues. It can be performed on- or off-line, warning about potential collisions even when users launch a measurement operation outside of the Sequence Editor.