Americanmachinist 1181 87200am0416hexa00000059829
Americanmachinist 1181 87200am0416hexa00000059829
Americanmachinist 1181 87200am0416hexa00000059829
Americanmachinist 1181 87200am0416hexa00000059829
Americanmachinist 1181 87200am0416hexa00000059829

Hexagon Metrologys New Generation of QC Systems

April 14, 2011
White-light sensors for portable and automated 3D measurement
Cognitens WLS400 products for manual or automated measurement use digital stereovision technology to generate highly accurate 3D data.

Hexagon Metrology Inc. recently introduced to North America its new white light measurement products under the Cognitens brand, replacing all of former Hexagon white-light products.

Both the manual measurement system Cognitens WLS400M and the automated measurement system Cognitens WLS400A are turnkey packages developed by Hexagon, including the operating software. Customers may choose between a portable configuration and an automated system that operates with all common industrial robots.

Cognitens is a Hexagon family brand that provides 3D optical measurement systems for industrial applications. Its dimensional measurement systems support engineering and manufacturing processes in automotive and other manufacturing industries.

The CoreView version 5.0 software that supports the new system is configured to improve utilization of the operating system, memory management, and third-party 64-bit software. This enhancement is critical to speeding large-point cloud processing and CAD utilization, according to Hexagon, including reducing processing time by 80% in one case study that the developer cited.

“The WLS400 uses digital stereo vision technology to generate highly accurate 3D data. The automotive and aerospace industries have embraced this technology because it accelerates quality control, and performs well in vibration-prone shop floor environments. The problem of vibration is resolved by the WLS400’s ability to shoot and capture 3D surface data in less than 10 milliseconds, as compared to the competitor’s rate of 1-2 seconds,” explained Eric Hollenbeck, North American portable business manager for Hexagon Metrology.

He continued: “Due to the ultra-fast data acquisition rate, any vibration in frequencies up to hundreds of Hz do not affect the results. The outcome is higher data integrity (no ghosting) and no repeat measurements. The device's performance is also not impacted by variable lighting or temperature changes.”

This new generation of products is supplied with Cognitens’ “innovative, reliable, and safe” Blue Light, LED technology that enables a greater variety of surface finishes to be measured, or reverse engineered. The company assures this development “virtually eliminates the use of spray-on developers in all but the most extreme cases.”

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