Metrology Minute

There are many analytical tools available in Control X under the Measure command that are extremely useful. This edition of Metrology Minute will explore common measurements that could prove useful to metrologists. Measure Distance is a quick way of determining the approximate length of a blade, in this example, without going through the trouble of creating a 2D or 3D dimension. Just a quick vertex selection of opposing ends quickly returns an approximate distance. Measure [...]

Fitting Deviation is a settable option in the GD&T family of tools available with Control X. When checking for a GD&T value, such as Flatness, this option enables you to not only see what the fit deviation is but also shows you the results in a clear unambiguous color map display. This lets you see the exact conditions of the surface and not just whether it is in or out of tolerance. For example, the [...]

In previous Metrology Minutes, we have gone through Control X basic inspection processes and techniques but what about when we need to inspect more than one of the same parts or assemblies, utilizing the same inspection program (inspection plan)? That’s where Batch Processing in Control X comes in very handy. Completely unmanned, Control X can open successive files (scans or point clouds) in a folder or you can select from various files contained in several [...]

Control X is capable of collecting 2D and 3D dimensional information, GD&T information, Statistical Information (RMS Value, Standard Deviations, etc.). More often than not, users are interested in displaying the data in a report, either to be used internally or to be presented to their customers. But did you know that Control X can also make this information available for downstream applications as well? Consider the “3D Dimensions” and the “3D Overall Dimensions” nodes below. [...]

Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of Verisurf software is that it runs “inside” of the Mastercam user interface. This offers a very comfortable "look and feel" to program not only your CNC machines but also inspection devices such as CMM’s, portable arms, and laser trackers. The Verisurf ANALYSIS module can import a nominal CAD model. Perhaps it was the exact model used to develop CNC toolpaths in Mastercam. The scan of the manufactured [...]

In our last Metrology Minute post, we demonstrated how Control X can be used to extract feature size and location information directly from the scan, without the use of a nominal CAD model. With this route, a more traditional type of inspection could take place using just the scan of a manufactured part or assembly. We explained how a region’s model may be used to identify and measure analytic features, directly from a scan. And [...]

The optimal workflow in Control X for inspection is to compare the scan of a manufactured part to its corresponding nominal CAD model. This is done by first aligning the scan to the CAD model, typically utilizing datums for the alignment. Once the alignment is complete, any type of dimension, whether feature size, distance, GD&T, etc. may be derived by essentially comparing the dimensions of the scan to those of the nominal CAD model. The [...]