Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence Division introduces two new configurations of the PRESTO Quality Station for automated quality inspection of large components: The PRESTO system is presented for the first time combined with the new HYPERSCAN for optical tracking and 3D scans, as well as with the Leica Absolute Tracker ATS800 for direct scanning. By integrating these advanced, high-resolution scanning technologies, Hexagon enables users to achieve faster and more versatile manufacturing quality control: The two new options complement the existing version of the PRESTO cell with the Leica Absolute Tracker AT960 and Absolute Scanner AS1, which are already used worldwide in nearline quality control processes in OEM automotive, railway, and aerospace plants. With the two new configurations, the turnkey PRESTO systems become accessible to manufacturers who need to increase their productivity but are struggling with budget and qualification constraints.
Nicolas Lachaud-Bandres, VP Industry Solutions at Hexagon, explains: “Our new automated quality systems make high-resolution scanning accessible to many more companies, thus helping to increase productivity in inspection, reduce bottlenecks, and respond faster to quality deviations worldwide. Thanks to the unmatched flexibility and scalability we offer through the latest metrological innovations, companies can measure more frequently and learn faster from it.”
Solutions also facilitate automation for small businesses
Hexagon developed the solutions with the aim of achieving a new level of flexibility and precision in applications along the supply chain: Here, skill gaps, lack of budget, and complexity often hinder the automation of quality inspection. The new variants of the PRESTO cells are not only associated with lower costs, but the partly robot-assisted inspection processes are also ready for use within hours and require minimal training. This allows for a quick return on investment. The modular platform also supports seamless sensor exchange and is compatible with numerous metrology software such as Hexagon's PC-DMIS, Inspire, and SpatialAnalyzer, as well as well-known third-party solutions. This enables Hexagon to quickly improve productivity in already established processes and makes it easier for manufacturers to adapt to changing manufacturing and inspection needs.
PRESTO Quality Station with HYPERSCAN
The new HYPERSCAN 3D scanner can be used both as a mobile handheld device and fully automated, making it particularly suitable for highly productive, challenging environments: It delivers high-speed 3D scans with 8.3 million points per second over a scanning area of 610 x 640 millimeters. The robust performance is complemented by wireless WiFi connectivity and an optical tracking system that allows for absolute positioning in an area of up to 7 meters for a measurement volume of 100 cubic meters.
Integrated into the PRESTO system, HYPERSCAN provides precise, non-contact quality inspections at high speed, thereby eliminating bottlenecks for parts in medium to large quantities. With hole-flash technology and advanced edge detection, the cell quickly and accurately digitizes details. The dynamic part tracking ensures precision even during vibrations and allows operation with part turntables, keeping the space requirement of the cell minimal. Additionally, the powerful software for robot-assisted automation is already integrated, enabling all personnel involved in quality control to quickly create an optimized, collision-free program for inspecting a specific CAD model – without requiring experience in robot programming.
PRESTO Quality Station with ATS800
The ATS800 combines laser tracking with direct scans, allowing manufacturers to measure features from up to 40 meters away. Thanks to the new TruePoint interferometer technology, it increases productivity in the manufacturing and assembly of large components through fast and accurate measurement of critical features.
The turnkey combination of the PRESTO system and ATS800 allows manufacturers to measure even fine edges, fasteners, and other complicated details with high accuracy in a standardized environment without collision risk. Additionally, the setup time is reduced: The device's reflector tracking automatically locks onto a reflector mounted on a cell using Hexagon's PowerLock technology. Thus, the system automatically finds an absolute position reference when loading parts. This speeds up alignment when parts are repositioned using a turntable. In this way, the PRESTO cell with ATS800 enables automated measurements without robotic arms and a fast, highly flexible quality inspection at significantly lower costs and with minimal programming effort.
“The seamless integration of HYPERSCAN and ATS800 into our PRESTO Quality Stations gives our customers the flexibility to choose the solution with the best price-performance ratio for each application. Thanks to the unified software platform, all employees can also be quickly trained and work productively. This enables us to empower manufacturing companies to implement automated scanning in demanding, highly dynamic manufacturing environments,” summarizes Nicolas Lachaud-Bandres.
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