In this, the second part of his HxGN LIVE 2018 report – which took place at the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas from 12-15 June – Dave Tudor takes a closer look at Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence (MI) division – which had its own track at the event. Hundreds of manufacturing professionals took part in three sub-tracks: Design and Engineering, Production and Metrology.
As part of the MI track, users of MSC Software CAE solutions (MSC was acquired by Hexagon in 2017), Vero Software CAD/CAM solutions and Hexagon’s leading PC-DMIS metrology software attended User Group meetings and programme sessions during HxGN LIVE. Conference attendees also met with Hexagon product specialists in The Zone, showcasing the digital thread at work as a common communication framework with feedback loops embedding continuous improvement into the product lifecycle.
The Manufacturing Intelligence track presentations featured Hexagon executives and experts, customers and thought leaders. Particularly interesting was a presentation on Virgin Hyperloop One (https://hyperloop-one.com) – which aims to revolutionise transport for people and freight alike. It involves a pod travelling inside a low-pressure tube powered utilising electro-magnetic propulsion at speeds approaching 700mph.
A 500m long test site – DevLoop – has been built in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and at HxGN, Virgin Hyperloop One’s metrology manager Chris Cox explained the evolution of the project and how Leica trackers (AT 401; AT 960-LR) from Hexagon were used successfully for a number of ultra-high precision alignment and measurement applications on the sections that make up the tube – specifically pedestal/saddle alignments and QC inspection routines on the track/stators.
In addition, the Leica TDRA6000 tracker, with its 3D point accuracy of 0.25mm at 35m was used for the global coordinate system and control point network.
In his keynote speech, Norbert Hanke, president of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, challenged a large audience to ’Rethink Quality’. The presentation explored key enablers of the Smart Factory, including the transformative potential of managing quality throughout the product lifecycle to drive manufacturing productivity.
Mr Hanke was joined by guest speaker Dr Michael Grieves, executive director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design (CAMID) at the Florida Institute of Technology, and Brian Shepherd, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence’s senior vice president, software solutions. The inspiring keynote covered the power of smart manufacturing principles to drive smarter designs, smarter production, and smarter output.
Product update: PC-DMIS
Used on a wide gamut of inspection devices including CMMs, portable inspection equipment, vision-based systems and sensors, Hexagon’s PC-DMIS is arguably the world’s leading measurement software with around 100,000 users worldwide. Its powerful capabilities enable users to measure everything from simple prismatic parts to the most complex aerospace and automotive components. PC-DMIS 2018 R1 was released earlier this year and another update (R2) was described as ‘imminent’ at HxGN.
“Software is playing increasingly more of a leading role in metrology and part of the shift is due to the skills shortage crisis that is affecting the manufacturing sector globally,” commented Ken Woodbine, manager, metrology software product line, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. “Essentially software needs to be simple and intuitive at the front-end interface, yet powerful in terms of functionality ‘under the hood’.
“For that reason, software also needs to be customisable so that the user sees only the parts he or she needs to access. The needs of a programmer/quality engineer who may be developing quality routines for example would be different to those required of a shop floor operator. Security access also needs to be tailored specifically to the user.
“In basic terms, metrology comprises three main tasks: the creation of measurement routines; the execution of measurement; and collaboration – obtaining actionable information and data that can be used to make improvements.
“With PC-DMIS 2018 R2, we’ve made the process from creation to collaboration quicker and more streamlined,” he said. “The software interacts with the CAD system much more rapidly resulting in more functionality with less effort. If you have a component face containing multiple holes that need to be measured for example, it can now be completed with a single click of the mouse. The new release is all about making measurement easier.”
Go all the way
The ‘collaborative’ or deliverable quality aspect of PC-DMIS 2018 R2 will also be enhanced in true ‘Xalt’ fashion through the introduction of PC-DMIS Go – a new app announced at HxGN. “This is a simple, handheld app that shares metrology data from the CMM, through the Cloud (via a gateway), to a mobile device either in-house or remotely,” Mr Woodbine explained.
“In practical terms, that means operators, quality engineers, inspectors and quality managers can not only monitor a component inspection routine in real-time, from wherever they are, but also receive reports containing more detailed data. If an inspection task takes an hour to complete for example, the PC-DMIS Go app can oversee the process, freeing up the operator to do other tasks. In the event of a problem, the app will generation instant notifications so remedial action can be taken. The app can also notify the operator when a routine is complete so he or she knows when to load the next job.”
The PC-DMIS Go app is designed to run in conjunction with Hexagon’s Notification Center software which typically runs on a PC connected to a device such as a CMM or Romer arm for example. The basic version is free to PC-DMIS subscribers but a chargeable premium version with additional functionality is also available.
Growth through acquisition
Hexagon’s success in recent years has been meteoric and a large part of that success is its willingness to acquire other companies – taking on board not only their respective expertise, but also their customer bases.
Norbert Hanke, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence president believes Hexagon has acquired more than 50 companies during its evolutionary ascent. “We’re constantly evaluating new markets and technology,” he advised. “When we discover a gap in our portfolio that we’d like to fill, the first question we ask is can we fulfil that need internally or acquire the expertise externally? Fundamentally, it’s a ‘make versus buy’ decision.”
One of those acquisitions that will be familiar to PES readers is CAD/CAM specialist Vero Software – developer of a wide range of products including Alphacam, Edgecam, Javelin, Radan and Visi – which was acquired by Hexagon in 2014. It has direct offices in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, USA, Brazil, Netherlands, China, Korea, Spain and India, supplying products to more than 45 countries through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and reseller network. Its CEO is Steve Sivetter.
“Being acquired by such a great technology company was a real ‘no-brainer’ for us,” he enthused. “Operationally – as long as we hit our targets of course – we’re left to our own devices, but as the relationship develops with Hexagon, we’re seeing more and more opportunities to share technology.
“Take our brand-new product Edgecam Inspect,” he continues. “That was born out of technology that I learned from Ken Woodbine on the Hexagon metrology software side, which will enable Edgecam users to carry out on-machine inspection.
“It’s a similar story with Hexagon’s PPM division: we’ve identified collaboration opportunities with some of their customers that are nesting large sheetmetal parts for the shipbuilding industry – which of course is where our Radan software excels. We can also reciprocate the technology: one of our Radan customers in the UK was looking to buy a scanning arm and we recommended a Romer product.
“Collaborative opportunities within the Hexagon Group will only increase as manufacturing, inspection and other disciplines become more integrated. In fact, if we’re still purely a CAD/CAM company in five years’ time, then I’m not doing my job properly.”
Unveiled at HxGN, Edgecam Inspect is a product that clearly demonstrates this integration. It combines leading metrology tools and know-how from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence with cutting edge manufacturing expertise from Vero Software.
Edgecam Inspect is a full featured, easy to use solution for users needing rapid on-machine measurement cycles with quick, efficient toolpath creation and generation of reliable, measurement results. For both circular and planar features, it offers robust probe calibration methods, embedded probe cycles with machining cycles, multiple report output formats, points and point arrays and multiple machine control support. Many features are fully customisable.
At HxGN LIVE 2018, Vero global product manager, machine tool metrology solutions, Andy Mears, who describes Edgecam Inspect as a ‘purpose-built metrology solution for CAM users’, explained the process via a graphical demonstration. Check out the video: http://bit.ly/edgecam1
HxGN 2019 will be held at the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas from 11-14 June 2019.
Hexagon www.hexagon.com
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence www.hexagonmi.com
