Leuven, September 29th 2008 – Metris (Euronext – MTRS) releases Focus Scan 5.1 and Inspection 9.1, which streamline the Digital Inspection Process and embed it into the CAD-centric design-through-manufacturing process, saving both time and money. Metris Focus is a fully featured software suite for point cloud data acquisition and inspection. For non-contact 3D metrology applications, Focus drives the Digital Inspection Process by reducing manual operation and delivering maximum analysis flexibility. Focus Scan 5.1 and Inspection 9.1 offer a short learning curve for novice users while providing advanced users with powerful processing capabilities.
Accelerating and simplifying metrology
Metris delivers on its vision of realizing the Digital Inspection Process. Instead of performing inspection on the physical part, Metris introduces a digital inspection process, during which automated measurement and inspection routines run on the acquired digital model data of the part. Metris’ Digital Inspection Process offers distinct advantages: straightforward data collection any operator can perform, a fast procedure without further reliance on the physical test object, and full flexibility in terms of when and where analysis is performed and what level of analysis detail is required.
Point cloud datasets are at the core of the digital inspection process, as they represent digital copies of the measured objects. 3D laser scanning and computed tomography (CT) scanning capture the surface and the interior structure of parts, respectively. Through efficient point cloud data acquisition and inspection, Focus software enables users to take advantage of the typical automation capabilities and flexibility benefits of an entirely digital metrology workflow.
Fast digitizing and point cloud software innovations are key enablers of the digital inspection process. Straightforward off-line measurement preparation and versatile point cloud processing make it possible to tune final part design thoroughly and efficiently. Detailed digital verification ensures that molds, tools and first parts meet geometric quality standards. Also in production, Focus-driven inspection efficiently monitors product quality to detect tool wear or other changes in the fabrication process. This illustrates how Focus adds speed and versatility to the development and production of machined metal, composite or plastic parts.
Speed up CMM-based measurement with Focus Scan 5.1
Although laser scanning requires minimum path programming compared to the traditional programming of many touch sensor points, Focus Scan 5.1 speeds up data acquisition even further. Focus Scan Off-line automatically generates laser scanner motion path and head orientation on the basis of CAD data, providing full coverage of the selected freeform scan surfaces. To further streamline feature inspection, Focus reads in product manufacturing information (PMI) from CAD in order to automatically calculate feature tolerance information. This avoids manual entry of dimensions and tolerances, which is time-consuming and represents a major source of errors.
Focus Scan’s fast measurement preparation enables users to start 3D scanning minutes after reading in the CAD file. After loading the appropriate scan program, no further operator interaction is needed to complete the CMM scanning job. Focus Scan 5.1 evidently supports Metris LC60D, the new revolutionary laser scanner that triples traditional scan rates and eliminates user interaction when scanning components with varying color or high reflectivity. As Focus Scan 5.1 software is compatible with Renishaw and Metrolog CMM controllers and most CMM brands – including Metris LK/C3, Mitutoyo, Hexagon (DEA, Brown & Sharpe), Wenzel, Zeiss, Dukin and Mora – 3D scanning is readily available for most scanning jobs.
Complete functionality packaged into Focus Inspection
Focus Inspection offers the most complete set of functions for digital surface and feature inspection. Digital inspection of casted or stamped metal parts as well as machined composite, aluminum or injection-molded plastic components, drives faster and higher-quality product development and fabrication.
Through close collaboration with major car OEMs, Focus Inspection integrates unique sheet metal functions, ranging from user-configurable calipers for flush-and-gap analysis to hard-to-measure diamond pin, T-stud and fir tree 3D features. Virtual assembly in Focus Inspection enables distributed engineering and production teams to trace and resolve fabrication issues before production kick-off. Focus Inspection reports, which instantly reveal local geometry deviations by means of 3D feature and full part-to-CAD comparison plots, can be interactively analyzed using the free downloadable Focus Viewer.
As the accurate digital representation of the actual test part forms the basis for Focus Inspection, the software provides full flexibility as to where and when inspection is executed. Focus Inspection supports fast and straightforward routine quality checks as well as more in-depth inspection for development and troubleshooting purposes. Without requiring programming skills, Focus users can select and activate the desired measurement and analysis actions, or graphically line up sequential action steps for automatic execution. Focus Inspection offers a fully configurable analysis module for digital turbine blade inspection, for example, that automates the entire process and delivers full section and edge surface analysis results.
Focus Inspection 9.1 further increases post-processing versatility
Focus Inspection 9.1 supports point clouds of infinite size on 64-bit computers, and considerably increases the speed of a broad range of actions, including filtering, subtraction, global comparison, and meshing. Today, Focus Inspection software covers enhanced clipping-planes functionality for unambiguous CT-scan interpretation and the most complete GD&T implementation that is compliant with the ASME Y14.5M standard.
Furthermore, Focus Inspection 9.1 includes CAD importers update to ACIS R18 and extended best-fit capabilities to facilitate automation and eliminate manual interaction. The new “positive best fit” option is very helpful for casting and milling applications. As this option retains only positive deviations after best fit, it determines whether a final part can be extracted from a larger rough object by only removing excess material. The “automatic start position” option bypasses manual work when aligning measured and nominal models. The complete functionality of the Focus software suite is packaged into a task-specific user interface that supports intuitive manual and fast automatic operation.