Machine tool measurement: raising production reliability with fast overstock recognition and aligning raw parts with just one laser scanner

One challenge that manufacturers often face is the uncertainty of raw parts not having enough overstock on all surfaces to avoid costly failures.

Especially when finishing pre-produced parts from external suppliers or other machine tools, operators invest a lot of time a) ensuring that the part has enough overstock and b) finding the right tool offset setting to ensure crashes and time-consuming air cuts are avoided.

Until now, this process could only be executed manually or with many individual measurement points. Even then, 100% certainty could never be assured. But now Hexagon has launched the wireless LS-R-4.8 laser scanning system for machine tools, a ground-breaking technology that offers new possibilities for the enhancement of modern production environments.

By adding a laser scanner directly to the machine tool, the part surface can quickly be measured with thousands of points, instantly showing how much overstock the part has and how high the tool offset should be.

This unique technology also resolves another major challenge with raw parts coming to the machine tool for finishing: correct alignment of the part. This process previously needed individual measurement points on a couple of selected areas on the part. But with the laser scanning point cloud and the Best-Fit function, HxGN NC Measure software aligns the part fully automatically and sends correction values to the machine control under consideration of the complete part surface.

With only one laser scan of the part before machining, operators can be confident about the part overstock and correct alignment on the machine. See for yourself in this video and learn more about the LS-R-4.8 radio laser scanner for machine tools.

Author

  • Manuel Müller

    Manuel Müller is a Product Marketing Manager at Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division. He is responsible for the product marketing strategy for the sensors and components product line, located in Waldburg, Germany. While studying for his bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing, he gained wide experience working for global brands in Germany and North America. Manuel has been with Hexagon since 2014.

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