AIM higher with the new LC15Dx Digital Laser Scanner– 060612 – Missed our Webinar? Watch it here……

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A New Wave in Inspection

Article by Alex Lucas, Business Development Manager – Scanning Products

Laser scanning and other optical measurement methods are crucial to many aerospace manufacturers. 

Nikon Metrology offers a complete and innovative metrology product portfolio, including state-of-the-art vision measuring instruments complemented with optical inspection and mechanical 3D metrology solutions.

Non-contact measurement technology has proliferated. Laser scanning and other optical measurement methods are crucial to many aerospace manufacturers’ desires to inspect more parts, more thoroughly. Perhaps no aircraft components are as crucial as jet engine turbine blades. Subjected to rigorous FAA inspection requirements, turbine blades require scrutiny to a higher level than just about any other aerospace part. Next generation engines have been engineered to be dramatically more fuel efficient than their predecessors. In fact, with the reduction of fuel consumption a premium, even the most conservative estimates project an exponential growth in jet engine manufacturing over the next 10 years. With such strenuous production demands, quality burdens are equally challenging. Accuracy is valued above all else, but inspection speed has become a crucial determining factor for implementing measurement technology.

Enter laser scanners. Triangulation based laser scanners come in a variety of configurations, ranging from articulated arm mounted systems to those embedded within optical devices. The localizer, the measurement device hosting the probe, is crucial to the overall system accuracy. This typically brings a purchaser to a tried and true, battle tested, measurement system – a coordinate measuring Machine (CMM). No laser scanner localizer offers the repeatability, accuracy, and automation that is crucial to production inspection of turbine blades.

CMMs have long been reliable for turbine blade inspection. A variety of tactile inspection methods have evolved throughout the years. Repeatable, automatic, rotating probe heads helped simplify the inspection process by allowing a CMM programmer to setup an inspection routine, and, given a nominal CAD file, to inspect various nominal points and inspect dozens of points across specific sections heights along the airfoil. Analog tactile scanning probes helped simplify the process, but more than simplicity; tactile scanning probes brought an aura of completeness to the inspection process. Ordinary tactile probes using peck scanning were efficient, but those probes typically would max out at a few inspection points per second. Analog tactile scanning probes are capable of inspecting hundreds of points per second, therefore providing a much more accurate representation of the airfoil section for downstream analysis of various blade characteristics such as leading and trailing edge thickness, max thickness, chord length, bow, lean, twist, and more.

Laser scanning, as with touch probing, has had some major recent advancements. General trends in laser scanner development have seen probes being manufactured with advanced sensor arrays capable of scanning normally difficult-to-scan surface such as dark and/or shiny surfaces. These advanced sensors can also be enhanced through software and firmware development to minimize the effect of spurious reflections, often a large source of scanner noise in older generations of laser scanners. Synchronization of the scanner directly to the CMM controller is crucial not only to achieve maximum accuracy by leveraging the error compensation data of the CMM, but through synchronizing at high frame rates, vast amounts of point cloud data can be acquired in little time, completely obliterating pre-conceived notions of CMM-based laser scanner speeds. During the past 10 years alone, the maximum frame rate of CMM-based laser scanners available on the market has gone from a pedestrian 25Hz to a blazing fast 75Hz. This threefold increase means a scanner can either travel from point A to point B in a third of the time or it can travel the same distance but collect three time more scan data, in turn providing a much more accurate and complete definition of a part’s surface profile.

Nikon’s products respond to the advanced inspection requirements of manufacturers active in a range of industries.

More points means more detail and more detail means more accuracy when defining blade characteristics, but the staggering amount of additional point-information laser scanners are capable of providing can lead to a greater amount of the part inspected in a fraction of the time it would take a typical tactile inspection program. A fortunate consequence being weighed by quality engineers that have embraced the use of laser scanners for turbine blade inspection is evaluating whether cutting cycle times is the best use of the increased point acquisition or if acquiring more data could be valuable. Knowledge is power and with more data defining the surface profile, manufacturing engineers and design engineers can apply better insights earlier in the process.

One further trend in the development of CMM-based laser scanners is the progress made with smaller and smaller field-of-view scanners. By using similar sensors as their larger field-of-view cousins, scanner developers can efficiently expand the breadth of a product portfolio by effectively shrinking the optics and training the sensor to focus on a small field-of-view. By doing so, accuracy improves drastically and spatial point resolution, the distance between points along a scan line, shrinks to such a level that even the most challenging trailing edge geometries can come into focus for inspection. A good rule of thumb when looking to define small leading and trailing edges is collecting at least eight points on an edge diameter for fitting purposes. For example, if you were looking to inspect a trailing edge that is 0.25mm (0.010″) in diameter, you would need a scanner with a spatial point resolution of at least 0.032mm (0.0013″).

An interesting side note to the vast improvement in laser scanners spatial point resolution is their ability to inspect turbine blade features never before thought obtainable through even tactile CMM inspection. Cooling holes allow turbine blades to operate at extreme temperatures by passing cool air out through tiny holes typically found close to the trailing edge. The cooling holes provide a layer of cool air on the blade that helps protect it from high temperature. With their at-times-infinitesimal geometries, conventional touch probes do not have access and clearance to collect points around these openings. So, another benefit of laser scanners has been borne. A common method for cooling hole inspection is computed tomography (CT) scanning. CT scanning machines can provide beautiful images and phenomenal metrological insights of the inner workings of turbine blades with cooling holes and critical internal geometry but, in this case, CT scanning can be very time consuming and very expensive. Laser scanners are a simple retrofit for existing CMMs, oftentimes being plug-and-play compatible with existing hardware, or potentially requiring minimal rework to make a scanner compatible with some older CMM models. While laser scanners cannot provide measurements on internal geometry, scanners with sufficiently high spatial point resolutions can provide good detail and definition around those difficult to inspect cooling holes.

An obvious trade-off to the increased point resolutions and improved accuracy of these scanners is the smaller field-of-view makes them not suitable for every job. Even someone that has not painted a room before knows that you wouldn’t use a 6″ roller to cut in the perimeter of the wall. Likewise, you would not use a 1/2″ brush to paint an entire wall. High resolution, high accuracy scanners are not suitable for every job, but even for parts that they are well intended for, scan acquisition software plays a crucial role. In most cases scans paths are taught by an operator that will define a start and end position for a CMM-based laser scanner movement and try to keep as much of the scan within the field-of-view as possible. With tiny viewing areas, advanced software packages have developed ways to not only provide scan path definitions given a surface model input but more and more, algorithms are being developed for unknown path scanning. Unknown path scanning has been a feature available for touch probes in many packages for quite some time, but the sacrifice was a significant drop in speed because of the increased approach and retract distance required to prevent crashes or the slower speed analog scanning probes require to maintain constant force along the part. Unknown path scanning is able to compensate quickly for the ever-changing surface geometry of turbine blades, making the programming of turbine blades significantly easier than traditional tactile methods.

As the demand for newer, better, and more efficient jet engines continues to rise, test and inspection methods to ensure quality will also increase at similar levels. CMMs with next generation laser scanners provide a solution to meet those demands. Whether it is scanning faster, scanning at higher data points/accuracy, or in smaller, more-concentrated views where tactile probes are unable to scan, laser scanning provides the results you need.

For more details on Nikon Metrology laser scanning, visit www.NikonMetrology.com.

You can also find this article on the Aerospace Manufacturing and Design website: http://www.onlineamd.com/amd0312-laser-scanning-inspections.aspx

Xtreme Scanning Webinar: LC60Dx and MMDx

 Find out how to improve your products using the next generation of CMM Laser Scanner Metrology

 Join us for a webinar on June 22nd!

 

 

We invite you to attend Nikon Metrology’s webinar, where you’ll witness the breadth of our product line, including:

• The latest advancements in CMM and Handheld Scanners
• The tremendous advantages of our MMDx and LC60Dx scanners
• Typical applications that benefit immensely from our scanners
• Online demos of our Focus Inspection Software, increasing productivity and improving results 

 

 

 

 

Sign up for this exclusive, but complimentary event!

Title: Xtreme Scanning: LC60Dx and MMDx – The next generation of Nikon Metrology’s laser scanners

Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT

Meet your presenter:

Alex Lucas, Business Development Manager, Scanning Products

Bio

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hope to see you there!

Nikon Metrology NV Exhibits at Control Show 2011 in Stuttgart, Germany

 

Date	May 3-6, 2011
Booth	Hall 7 – Booth 7412
Location	Stuttgart, Germany
Hosted by	Nikon Metrology
Official website	http://www.control-messe.com/en/control

Come and see us at the Control Exhibition in Stuttgart

At the Control exhibition (Stuttgart, DE), Nikon Metrology features its entire product portfolio. Visitors are welcome to discover the new HN-6060 multi-sensor measuring system, learn about the complete portfolio of 3D laser scanners, explore latest CT technology, and much more. Large scale demonstrations include the recently launched Laser Radar MV330, iSpace and Adaptive Robot Control. In the microscope portfolio, the portable ShuttlePix is a new experience for analyzing samples in the field or in the lab.   
 
Nikon Metrology solutions on display:

• HN-6060 multi-sensor system for measuring intricate parts such as gears
• Ceramic LK CMMs equipped with high-performance LC60Dx and XC65D laser scanners and Focus software
• MCA II articulated measuring arms fitted with handheld digital MMDx and MMCx laser scanners
• Industrial XT H 225 and electronics XT V 130 inspection systems
• NEXIV VMR AND iNEXIV VMA vision inspection systems providing (sub)micron accuracy and inspection automation
• Dedicated microscope solutions such as ShuttlePix and NeoScope benchtop SEM
• A range of measuring microscopes and profile projectors
• Laser Radar and iGPS large-scale metrology, including Adaptive Robot Control
• Latest software releases on CAMIO, Focus, CMM-Manager 

 

HN-6060 multi-sensor  metrology system

CMM scanning  and  Feature inspection

Handheld scanning

X-ray and CT inspection

 

Vision systems and Microscopes

ShuttlePix

Laser Radar  & iSpace Large volume Metrology

Adaptive Robot Control

To obtain your free Nikon Metrology entrance ticket, please click here.

Grand Opening of Nikon Metrology Western Regional Sales Office

Nikon Metrology, Inc. Announces Opening of New Western Regional Sales Office in Irvine, California

Nikon Metrology Grand Opening in Irvine, California

Nikon Metrology, Inc. just announced the opening of its new Western regional sales office in Irvine, California. The facility will serve as a sales and demonstration center for current and potential Nikon Metrology customers in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Texas. 

“We are always looking for ways to support our customers’ needs, and this new regional sales office exemplifies these efforts,” says Robert Wasilesky, senior vice president of sales and marketing, for Nikon Metrology, Inc. “It’s exciting to open this facility for our West Coast customers and ensure we are providing them the top level of service possible.” 

A celebration for the grand opening of the facility was held October 20-21, 2010 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a catered lunch. Nikon Metrology technical experts demonstrated a wide range of different products from the company’s diverse product line, including coordinate measuring machines, laser scanners, and vision measuring systems. 

The office will be home to nearly a dozen Nikon Metrology employees who will provide customer support and sales demonstrations for customers.

Nikon Metrology Video Overview

Nikon Metrology offers a complete range of metrology solutions including Coordinate Measuring Machines(CMMs), Optical CMMs, 3D laser scanners, handheld laser line probes, X-ray and Computed Tomography (CT),  Optical CNC measuring systems, measuring microscopes, Laser Radar, iGPS /iSpace systems,  and metrology software for 3D scanning, 3D digitizing, 3D inspection and reverse engineering. Our systems are employed in aerospace, automotive and other manufacturing industries.

To learn more about Nikon Metrology, watch our company video:

Click here to contact us for more information.

3D Laser Scanning Accelerates Inspection

 

Instead of numerous indexing head rotations and multiple CMM axes displacements that are needed to operate a touch probe, the CMM scanner performs inspection along straightforward linear and polygon motion paths. Every second pinched off from the inspection cycle is multiplied by the number of cycles run on the CMM, adding up to time savings.

3-D laser scanning speeds up part inspection while capturing freeform surfaces and geometric feature details.

Dimensional error margins that compound too enthusiastically throughout the parts assembly process introduce reduced product quality and, subsequently, lengthy corrective actions. To avoid this, accurate and efficient metrology solutions keep a close eye on component and assembly geometry until the final product is proofed. The use of touch-probe measurement in part-to-CAD (computer-aided design) inspection and reverse engineering applications offers accurate results, but faces limitations in terms of inspection throughput and freeform inspection capability.

3-D laser scanning, which has matured during the past 10 years, is on the verge of revolutionizing the micrometrology market in automotive, aerospace and many other markets. Laser scanners accurately capture parts of various shape, size and material in a fraction of the time required for touch-probe measurement, resulting in increased inspection productivity. In addition, they acquire hundreds of thousand or millions of points across the entire geometry of the scanned object, making it possible to accurately describe freeform surfaces and digitize complete components.

The surface information is used for part-to-CAD inspection or to reverse engineer CAD models from the physical object. Having a full digital model of the test specimen means that any type of feature or surface inspection can still be done at any time without having to redo the measurement. Last but not least, compared to touch probes that can potentially scratch fragile components or press flexible parts, laser scanning is entirely noncontact.

The compact size and low weight of handheld scanners enable operators to run metrology jobs at other divisions or plants, or even at the customer’s site.

During operation, 3-D laser line scanners beam a wide laser stripe on the surface of the part being inspected. A camera captures the projected laser stripe and converts it into thousands of 3-D measurement points using triangulation and digital imaging. The scanner itself is mounted on a so-called localizer that is used to determine the absolute position of the scanner in 3-D space. By combining the scanner measurement points with the scanner position coming from the localizer, accurate 3-D coordinates of the scanned surface are determined. A range of localizers are possible, ranging from articulated arms to traditional coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) up to industrial robots.

The digital capability of recent scanner generations allows scanned surfaces to be displayed on screen in real-time, and dynamically adapt sensor performance according to varying surface material, color and reflectivity. To suit operators’ specific inspection needs, laser scanner solutions are available for different measurement volumes, accuracy classes and in handheld, CMM and robotic configurations.

Convenience of Handheld Scanning

The optical CMM dynamically tracks the position and orientation of the scanner as well as the object, providing a metrology-enabled workplace that even fits an entire car.

Handheld laser scanners are either mounted on an articulated measurement arm or tracked by an optical tracking system (optical CMM). Both manual systems handle on-site troubleshooting tasks just as easily as in-depth dimensional inspection on the production line. The compact size and low weight of handheld scanners enable operators to run metrology jobs at other divisions or plants, or even at the customer’s site.

Where articulated measurement arms offer a limited action radius, an optical CMM covers a larger measurement area in which the operator can freely walk around while manually operating the scanner. The optical CMM dynamically tracks the position and orientation of the scanner as well as the object, providing a metrology-enabled workplace that even fits an entire car.

In the early stages of product development, handheld laser scanners are often used to digitize rapid prototypes or clay models. Besides part-to-CAD inspection, a manual laser scanner comes in handy when physical shape modifications crafted by the designer need to be fed back into CAD. Without leaving marks on the clay model, it provides a detailed operator-independent description of the surface, thanks to the high number of measured points.

A head light, a suspension part, a wheel rim, a bumper or a plastic air filter box—each individual die or mold component can be easily checked to ensure dimensional specifications are actually met. The creation of graphic full-part comparison reports accelerates this qualitative evaluation, and guarantees that material shrinkage or spring-back effects are controlled correctly. After vehicles are assembled, handheld 3-D scanning is widely used to run accurate and efficient flush-and-gap verification.

Among numerous reverse engineering applications, handheld laser scanners provide value when digitizing the geometric space envelope that is available, instead of relying on CAD files that may no longer be up-to-date. The acquired 3-D scans digitally reflect the available space that is available to design the structural connection between tow bar and a vehicle chassis, or powerful customized turbo chargers that fit into tuned sports cars.

Accuracy

Enlarge this picture CMM laser scanners are suited for detailed sheet metal feature inspection. For this purpose, laser scanners with multiple laser stripes and cameras have been developed. For example, a CMM scanner with three-stripes, each shifted 120 degrees from one another, views the inspected surface simultaneously from three different angles. This eliminates the need to scan certain surface areas a second time using a different scanner perspective. As this further reduces scanner motion and rotation, multi-stripe laser scanners accelerate feature inspection of sheet metal as well as molded metal and plastic parts. From the acquired point clouds, specialized software automatically detects the features, calculates their characteristics and graphically reports CAD deviations.

When top accuracy and repetitive inspection means are required for the job, dedicated 3-D laser scanners for mechanical CMMs come into play. The availability of complete packages that include CMM scanner hardware and software allow most existing CMMs to be retrofitted with 3-D laser scanning capability.

Economically very relevant is that laser scanning accelerates CMM feature inspection. Instead of numerous indexing head rotations and multiple CMM axes displacements that are needed to operate a touch probe, the CMM scanner performs inspection along straightforward linear and polygon motion paths. Every second pinched off from the inspection cycle is multiplied by the number of cycles run on the CMM, adding up to time savings.

Simplified motion paths of the CMM scanner also mean more straightforward off-line CMM programming. This compares favorably with tactile inspection where elaborated programming effort is required to define a rather lengthy sequence of touch sensor movements and measurements.

CMM laser scanners are suited for detailed sheet metal feature inspection. For this purpose, laser scanners with multiple laser stripes and cameras have been developed. For example, a CMM scanner with three-stripes, each shifted 120 degrees from one another, views the inspected surface simultaneously from three different angles. This eliminates the need to scan certain surface areas a second time using a different scanner perspective. As this further reduces scanner motion and rotation, multistripe laser scanners accelerate feature inspection of sheet metal as well as molded metal and plastic parts. From the acquired point clouds, specialized software automatically detects the features, calculates their characteristics and graphically reports CAD deviations.

In the assembly process of sheet metal parts, CMM laser scanning is deployed to scan the shape of mating surfaces in order to verify whether they will fit together correctly. A better alternative than putting both parts on a master buck is to virtually assemble the parts by scanning their mating surfaces and verifying the connection on a graphic software display.

As a matter of fact, these scanners successfully deal with sheet metal, castings, composites, injection molds, foams and even glass. Detailed 3-D scans also assist in the development and repair of expensive die and mold production equipment. In this regard, detailed measurement of tools and first parts are very important in tuning and verifying the dimensional quality of stamped, casted or injection-molded parts. Point cloud data acquired through laser scanning represent a valuable resource because scan data is used for realistic FE meshes for thermal, strength and dynamic simulations, in case CAD data is missing or not up-to-date.

Power of Inline Robotic Laser Scanning

Simplified motion paths of the CMM scanner also mean more straightforward off-line CMM programming. This compares favorably with tactile inspection where elaborated programming effort is required to define a rather lengthy sequence of touch-sensor movements and measurements.

In production facilities for automotive parts, manual or CMM-driven geometric inspection tasks may slow down manufacturing throughput. In response to the growing need for accurate inline inspection solutions, laser scanners also have found their way into robotic metrology solutions. The problem with most robotic scanning solutions on the market is that their inspection precision ultimately depends on the motion accuracy of the robot itself. As robots typically lack position and path accuracy, they are simply not suitable for 3-D metrology.

The latest innovation in robotic laser scanning is combining a laser scanner installed on an industrial robot with an optical CMM. The purpose of the optical CMM is to dynamically track the accurate position and orientation of the laser scanner. This information is essential in this robotic laser scanning approach, as it obsoletes cyclic robot calibration and eliminates the influence of robot warm-up, drift and backlash. As a result, this solution transforms industrial robots into highly accurate and efficient inline metrology solutions.

As the optical CMM tracks the robot scanner entirely independently, it does not require positional data from the robot. This simplifies the user interface and radically reduces communication overhead between robot and metrology. Inline robotic laser scanning with metrology-level accuracy fits inspection applications where objects need to be scanned in their entirety, such as sheet metal body panels and body-in-white as well as forged or molded parts.

Altogether, laser scanning is an exciting and promising technology that has already proven great value in a wide range of metrology applications, in particular in the automotive industry. Also in other production environments across other industries—such as household appliances, plastic parts, turbine blades—where components are inspected for optimum assembly, 3-D laser scanning will further gain importance and undoubtedly increase its application reach in combination with tactile inspection methods.

Tech Tips

To suit operators’ specific inspection needs, laser scanner solutions are available for different measurement volumes, accuracy classes, and in handheld, CMM and robotic configurations.

The digital capability of recent scanner generations allows scanned surfaces to be displayed onscreen in real-time, and dynamically adapts sensor performance according to varying surface material, color and reflectivity.

In response to the growing need for accurate inline inspection solutions, laser scanners also have found their way into robotic metrology solutions.

Kautex speeds up fuel tank quality control by 30% with XC50-LS laser scanner

Top-100 automotive supplier Kautex relies on Nikon Metrology XC50-LS Cross Scanner on LK CMM to verify the production quality of composite fuel tanks. Kautex engineers set up and execute automatic measurement routines that speed up the serial inspection process for fuel tank by 30%. Incorporating three lasers in a cross pattern, the scanners capture the finest details of freeform surfaces and critical geometric features in one go. The insight gained by automatically digitizing fuel tanks and generating graphic Focus reports enables Kautex to tackle problems that were hard to solve in the past. 

High-pace production lines cranking out fuel tanks 

Tier-one supplier Kautex manufactures fuel tanks that meet tight environmental standards for Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota and other major car brands. To guarantee smooth assembly, the shape of fuel tanks must fall within strict geometric tolerances to match the allocated space envelop within the vehicle. To monitor the quality of all its fuel tank production lines in the US, Kautex installed the same metrology equipment in Avilla, Indiana and San Antonio, Texas. In multiple shifts, metrology professionals at both production plants run inspection on LK horizontal-arm CMMs equipped with XC laser scanners and tactile sensors 

Kautex runs laser scanning to efficiently capture the freeform surfaces and geometric features of fuel tanks.

“Serial production of fuel tanks is a swift but complex process that cranks out a new specimen every 2 minutes or so. The advanced blow molding and cooling technology that is applied requires optimum dynamic pressure and temperature conditions,” says Don Morse, Quality Manager for Kautex in Avilla, Indiana. “These boundary conditions are of capital importance as well as the blow molding fixtures that shape multi-layer base material that is being air inflated. To meet the desired dimensions at the end of the cooling stage, we systematically verify the geometric quality of serial produced tanks.” 

Radically reducing inspection preparation time 

To prepare an inspection routine for a new fuel tank type, Kautex’ quality team sets up an inspection macro in Focus Scan software. Defining the dynamic motion and orientation of the XC50-LS scanner is quite straightforward. “Significant tolerance on scanner-to-part distance drastically reduces head indexing as well as the number of CMM movements,” says Michael Boltz, CMM Specialist for Kautex. “It is much easier to define scanner motion and orientation than to program the hundreds of touch sensor points for a tactile inspection job. Most of the time, we prepare inspection macros off-line, allocating CMMs exclusive for digitizing fuel tanks.” 

Laser scanning also reduces or eliminates the effort that is required to align fuel tanks on the CMM. As fuel tanks have 

Inspection macros are typically prepared off-line, allocating CMMs exclusive for digitizing fuel tanks.

sufficient weight and rigidity, there is no need to invest in complex clamping and fixation tools. Boltz explains that a fuel tank is presented for inspection by positioning it on vertical stands that support the tank in free-state condition. “We select the locations for the vertical supporting bars such that tanks only rest on their datum references. In general, this approach is sufficient to immediately start the automatic laser scanning routine. This is a major benefit compared to tactile inspection jobs, which require us to perform a tactile pre-alignment procedure first.” 

Geometric features captured quickly and in great detail 

Critical fuel tank features that require detailed verification are datum reference points as well as metal or plastic tube/hose connection pieces that are molded in into the tank surface. 3 lasers incorporated in a cross pattern enable the XC50-LS scanner to capture all 3D details of geometric features and freeform surfaces in a single scan. This compares favorably to line scanners that digitize features multiple times under different angles to capture all details
“The scanning routine for an entire fuel tank, covering freeform surfaces and geometric features, is completed in the order of 30-40 minutes,” says Boltz. “Laser scanning outperforms tactile point-by-point acquisition technology, both in speed and number of inspection points. A point cloud of a fuel tank consists of several millions of measurement points, which is further reduced by an innovative filtering algorithm. Currently, we run quality control with sampling rates of 1 in every 50 to 100 fuel tanks.”

Tackling problems that were hard to solve in the past 

Boltz explains that the inspection process at Kautex is embedded into the digital CAD-centric manufacturing process. An advantage of digitizing fuel tanks up-front is the flexibility to run analysis at any later time. After aligning the acquired point cloud with the nominal shape, Focus highlights geometry deviation between fuel tank and CAD or between 2 tanks. Automatic geometry comparison is performed either using global best fit or alignment on the basis of datum reference points. “At a single glance, we see where geometry tends to go out of range. We apply different fitting methods to easily distinguish between inaccurate fuel tank geometry and incorrect datum point levels. Quickly gaining relevant insight is critical for us in efficiently tuning the mechanical blow molding fixtures used in production. We share graphic reports with colleagues and customers, who interactively analyze them using the license-free Focus Viewer.” 

The use of different fitting methods enables us to easily retrieve incorrect datum point levels.

“Nikon Metrology laser scanning is a success story,” concludes Morse. “The scanners help us save time in every step of the metrology process, including measurement preparation, execution and analysis. Overall, the digital inspection process that we have implemented speeds up metrology operations on average with 30%. Instead of entering discussions with Excel tables, we now share graphic Focus reports to drive technical consultation and efficient decision making. The insight that we gain from these reports enables us to tackle problems that could not be solved in the past, and increase our technical credibility towards customers.”