Special features speed processes, reduce costs for automotive inspection
FRANKFURT, Germany (Euromold 2005), 01 December 2005- Geomagic announces Geomagic Qualify 8, the latest version of the company’s computer-aided inspection (CAI) software. Geomagic Qualify 8 offers increased plug-in support for optical measurement systems and arm-mounted scan heads, unique integration with the FARO Laser Tracker and major new features to speed inspection analysis.
Geomagic Qualify is used by automotive, aerospace, electrical and other industries worldwide to automatically process scan data into accurate 3D models for inspection analysis and reporting.
Optical measurement system support
Geomagic Qualify 8 provides plug-ins and extended support for the Perceptron Contour Probe with both Cimcore and non-Cimcore arms, Faro Scan Arm and Laser Tracker, Konica-Minolta Vivid and Kreon Zephyr optical measurement systems.
Faro Laser Tracker support in Geomagic Qualify 8 provides new capabilities for offline and real-time inspection. The real-time capability enables users to instantly compare a CAD model to the scan of a physical part being displayed on the screen as it is captured.
The FARO Laser Tracker plug-in offers capabilities beyond Faro’s CAM2 software, enabling users to perform alignments and more sophisticated analysis for sectioning, 2D and 3D dimensioning, GD&T, wall thickness and reporting.
“Geomagic Qualify 8 complements the Laser Tracker’s precision, speed and ease of use,” says Chuck Pfeffer, FARO laser product manager. “It simplifies the process and shortens the time from measuring to digital reconstruction and inspection.”
New automation features
In addition to extended measurement systems support, Geomagic Qualify 8 contains new features that automate manual tasks and reduce workflow steps, saving time and money. These include:
- Automatic wall thickness calculation to identify critical areas that might cause breakage. This capability can reduce analysis time from an hour to a couple of minutes for plastic molding and sheet metal parts.
- Improved sectioning tools for creating faster 2D dimensioning views and automatically generating easy-to-analyze graphical reports.
- 3D comparisons according to user-defined direction, enabling users to study stress caused by a one-directional load, such as a crash or stamping.
- Options to control the number of loaded triangles, memory usage, and decimation, saving time in analyzing large data sets.
- Manual creation and editing of correspondence, providing more flexibility in selecting scanned areas and eliminating unwanted areas.
Breakthrough automotive functionality
Geomagic Qualify 8 provides specific automotive functionality that has undergone extensive testing by Perceptron and a major U.S. automotive manufacturer as part of an Autoscan project. New features include:
- Gap & flush comparison that adapts easily to any type of gap configuration and speeds analysis by automatically creating sections and dimensions.
- Ring gauge inspection within software, providing greater accuracy by analyzing many more data elements, and eliminating the need to build physical ring gauges – generating major savings per gauge.
- Edge (or hem) calculation that enables users to automatically compare scanned data to CAD data to evaluate spring-back, saving the manual work of creating sections and dimensions.
Certified to highest standards
Geomagic Qualify has received the highest accuracy certification from Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany’s technical authority for metrology and physical safety engineering; undergone successful gauge R&R testing by Honeywell and other major turbine manufacturers; and been certified by Fiat as part of a digital inspection process that exceeds standards set by ANFIA, the trade association that defines manufacturing methods for the Italian automotive industry.
“The [Geomagic Qualify] digital inspection process passed every test and exceeded all expectations,” says Domenico Bongiovanni, Fiat’s quality manufacturing engineer. “We believe it will enable us to inspect more part features in equal or less time than with CMM processes and automate other areas such as incoming inspection.”
Available now
Geomagic Qualify 8 is available in English, German, Chinese, Japanese and French languages from Geomagic and its worldwide distributors.
About Geomagic
Geomagic (www.geomagic.com) is a global company dedicated to advancing and applying 3D technology for the benefit of humanity. Geomagic’s scanning and design software solutions are used to capture and model 3D content from physical objects, organically sculpt complex shapes, and prepare products for manufacturing. In addition, the company produces powerful 3D metrology and inspection software that verifies dimensional quality by comparing as-built products to master designs. Geomagic’s Sensable Phantom haptic devices simulate the sense of touch in a digital environment.
Geomagic’s software and hardware are utilized by world-class customers in a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, medical, consumer products, toys, collectibles, coindesign, jewelry, fine art, heritage restoration, research, education, mold making, entertainment, training and surgical simulation. In fact, some of the world’s leading companies and research organizationsuse Geomagic software, including Ford, BMW,Boeing, Harley Davidson, Timberland, Mattel/Fisher Price, Lego, Pratt & Whitney, NASA, Schneider Electronic, 3M, Danaher and Invisalign. Geomagic is based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA, with an office in Boston, subsidiaries in Europe and Asia, and channel partners worldwide.
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Geomagic, Geomagic Studio, Geomagic Qualify, Geomagic Qualify Probe, Geomagic Spark, Wrap, Geomagic Wrap, Phantom, OpenHaptics, Omni, Freeform, Claytools, Sensable and Sensable Technologies, Inc. are trademarks or registered trademarks of Geomagic Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Rachael Taggart
Geomagic, Inc.
+(1) 919-474-0135
Contact Rachael