CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
1 April 2011
Events News
FARO and Delcam Combine for Inspection Open House
Delcam and FARO will jointly host an inspection open house featuring the latest developments in portable metrology hardware and software. The event will be held on 8th April in Delcam’s California office in Pasadena.
The open house will be the first opportunity for US manufacturers to see the 2011 R2 version of Delcam’s PowerINSPECT inspection software on the latest FARO arms. The new release is the first version developed for use on 64-bit computers. Other enhancements include improved visualisation of the results, easier creation of automated inspection routines, full integration of DRO (Digital Read-Out) functionality and support for the latest Renishaw probes.
PowerINSPECT is firmly established as the world’s leading hardware-independent inspection software. It combines the ability to work with all types of inspection device with a comprehensive range of inspection routines for making simple measurements, for inspecting geometric features and for checking complex surfaces. The resulting reports present detailed information in easy-to-read formats that can be understood by all engineers, not just inspection specialists.
The introduction of support for 64-bit computers will enable increased memory use on that hardware. This will be of benefit for more memory-intensive applications where larger CAD files need to be manipulated, especially for very complex parts and multi-component assemblies.
The new PartAligner module will also be demonstrated. This uses the alignment functionality from PowerINSPECT on a portable inspection device positioned on or beside a machine tool to find exactly where a part is located. The measured position is then compared with the datum used in the CAM system to program the component.
The results can be used to update a project in the CAM system by adjusting the datum position and orientation. Alternatively the data can be applied directly to change the offsets in the machine-tool control so that they reflect the measured position of the component rather than the nominal value in the programming software.
Using PartAligner with a FARO Arm or Gage overcomes any concerns that might arise from using a machine tool to check its own performance with on-machine verification. The main benefit is in reducing the time and variability associated with fine manual adjustment of the part set-up. PartAligner allows independent inspection to be carried out and positional problems to be corrected much more quickly and easily, especially with larger and heavier parts.
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