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For more than two decades, Capital One Financial has run a television ad campaign featuring different celebrities asking the now iconic question, “What’s in your wallet?” It’s an important question because to most individuals, the wallet represents financial security and purchase power.
For the coordinate measuring machine (CMM) industry and its' bevy of users, a similar yet equally important question to think about is, "What's in your software package?" Fabricators and jobs are struggleing to balance supply chain disruptions and continuing implementation of Industry 4.0 and IloT practices with the need to update or replace legacy equipment. Machines with closed architecture are often at odds with companies' needs for connectivity.
Open Architecture CMMs and Software
AIMS’ 5-axis CMMs are equipped with an open architecture Renishaw controller. And while it’s important to consider whether or not your machine makes adding, upgrading, retrofitting or swapping out components easy, it’s also crucial to consider whether or not your software package offers the same flexibility. The Revolution Series LM supports strict requirements for parts inspection in a lab, while the HB and Summit 10.10.10 cover the gamet of needs on the shop floor. The CMM OEM’s software packages are equality flexible and also support open architecture.
Software options that support open architecture are especially important for CMMs like the Summit 10.10.10. Equipped with a 5-axis REVO-2 dynamic scanning probe and 1 meter cubed capacity, it was specifically designed for the metalworking industry to handle high volume, large parts inspection on the job shop floor. Large inspection capacity is in enhanced with REVO-2’s latest sensors such as RVP vision and SFP2 surface measurement for touch trigger and non-contact vision inspection.
CMM Programming & Inspection Suite by Veriserf
Among AIMS’ software options, its newest addition—Veriserf’s CMM Programming & Inspection Suite—is easy-to-use with an intuitive graphical interface. Users can simply point and click on features they want to include in the inspection plan. Probe motion parameters can be controlled and inspection steps easily grouped with drag-and-drop programming. CMM gantry and probe motions can also be simulated prior to running the program in real time. CAD files from a variety of platforms are supported, including VDA, IGES, STEP, STL, Parasolid, and ACIS. Native file formats include SolidWorks, SolidEdge, AutoCAD, Inventor, Spaceclaim, KeyCreator, Rhinoceros. Dassault CATIA, Siemens NX and PTC creo offer additional options.
MODUS Software
Renishaw’s MODUS metrology software gives users a strong platform for running inspection programs while supporting its’ REVO 5-axis technology. A configurable user interface allows native DMIS programs to be developed offline, along with geometries, embedded dimensions and tolerance data from CAD, feature construction and part alignment. It includes full support for I++DME compliant metrology controllers, including Renishaw’s UCC range of universal CMM controllers.
QxSOFT CMM Manager
QxSOFT’s (QuickSoft) CMM-Manager provides an intuitive 3D metrology package that works with manual, touch, portable, and CNC CMMs. Affordable and easy to use, the software requires no new hardware. CMM-Manager features a graphic user interface for easy programming and probe configuration. Pre-defined and customizable reports aid analysis of tolerance ranges. Users can check for outliers, visually compare CAD features with actual part measurements and a wide range of other tasks.
Other Software Options
AIMS also offers QC-CALC Real Time and Reaction Plan Manager from Prolink.
Contact us today to talk about our open architecture hardware and software solutions.
