FLYING SCANNING WITH NO INTERRUPTIONS

Carl Zeiss (Oberkochen, Germany) introduces the fifth generation of contact scanning with the new Vast® Performance Kit that is optionally available for the Prismo®, CenterMax® and GageMax® coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). It incorporates various elements of optimized hardware and software to increase the performance of measurements. A new generation of active probes delivers very high speed and thus considerably improved measuring productivity.

This new system offers high result reliability and a clear reduction of the measuring time for many applications. Scanning can now be meaningfully used even for features with interrupted contours. The fast stylus change further reduces the total measuring time. Simplified programming and shorter measuring times enable optimal utilization and thus the completion of more measuring jobs in less time: the productivity of the coordinate measuring machines rises significantly.

FLYING SCANNING
The outstanding benefit of Performance Kit is the ability to scan over interrupted contours (FlyScan). In the past, 16 scanning paths were required to measure a flange that has a plane surface interrupted with boreholes. The FlyScan feature reduces this number to one. The existing method for this measurement required extensive programming that resulted in a measuring time of 75 sec. FlyScan not only considerably simplifies programming, but the measuring time for the feature is also reduced nearly 70 percent to 23 sec ? with absolutely reliable measuring results.

The improvement for the measurement of a pinion is even more evident. A single-point measurement delivers a satisfactory statement, but the measuring time is at least 286 sec, or around five minutes. Scanning with VAST Performance enables an in-depth statement on the form and diameter with a measuring time of only 71 sec.

FASTER STYLUS CHANGE
Productive measuring also means being able to quickly adapt to different measuring jobs. The CNC-guided stylus change on coordinate measuring machines enables the measurement of different features at different workpiece positions with the right stylus or stylus system. Included in a measuring program, the measuring machine automatically changes the stylus. The faster this occurs, the sooner the measuring program can run. The speed of the stylus change thus has a significant effect on the total measuring time of complex measuring programs and several stylus changes. Complex measuring programs often require several stylus changes.

This function has been continuously enhanced. The QuickChange feature in the Performance Kit has considerably reduced the time needed to change a stylus on its premium-class bridge-type measuring machines. The optimizations have lowered the time needed to change the stylus by up to 60 percent. www.zeiss.com/imt