AICON MoveInspect XR8: Built on Teamwork

A great moment after two years of development: the first AICON MoveInspect XR8 – the new portable optical coordinate measuring machine (CMM) from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence – is finished. The team, headed by product manager Andreas Rietdorf, has worked hard and with commitment, overcoming challenges along the way.

The MoveInspect XR8 is a joint product of the AICON sites at Braunschweig and Meersburg. Braunschweig, the city with almost 250,000 inhabitants; Meersburg, the idyllic holiday resort on Lake Constance. There are more than 600 kilometres between them – six hours by car. A distance that makes collaboration difficult.

AICON managing director Carl-Thomas Schneider is very satisfied with the team’s performance. “Our team has performed really well over the great distance that separates us. Collaboration was frequently carried out using video conferencing facilities, which worked really well. Countless pilot production tests were carried out in Meersburg, with verification then taking place in Braunschweig. Everything fitted.”

Hardware development for the project was down to the development team of Peter Münstermann from Meersburg, with assembly, calibration and testing taking place in Braunschweig. Of central importance were accuracy tests in an air-conditioned measuring room using a calibrated artefact as a high-precision reference, as well as protracted tests to check theaccuracy of the system over the entire measuring volume. Another focus was on temperature testing.

The XR8 is a further development of the AICON MoveInspect XR, with new features and a completely new design. During development, a special focus was placed on robustness and resistance of the system to the impact of mechanical stress such as vibrations or shock. The solution was to install both high-performance cameras inside a robust housing, allowing for inspection, tracking and positioning even in rough production environments with dust and vibrations. The ‘dynamic referencing’ function guarantees constant process stability, even if the system is moved.

The AICON MoveInspect XR serieswas specially developed for the measurement of large components and fixtures. A typical application area is the comparison of components against nominal geometry (CAD), achieved by technology that detects geometric conditions and changes three-dimensionally. The wireless handheld AICON MI.Probe gives the user total freedom of movement, allowing objects to be easily measured in three dimensions through tactile probing.

The XR8 is now in the production hall in Braunschweig, and it’s obvious that the system looks different to previous AICON systems. The XR8 is the first system of this product series to carry Hexagon branding – a new look being launched following the acquisition of AICON by Hexagon inApril 2016. This is the next step for the spirit of collaboration at AICON, and the team are keen to work closely with their new Hexagon colleagues on more ways to help our customers drive productivity.