“The requirements for composite fibre inspection go beyond the classical dimensional metrology which Hexagon’s current offering provides,” says Norbert Hanke, president of Hexagon AB company Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, and adds: “Apodius’ solutions offer a perfect complement to our portfolio, in terms of technology and application expertise.”
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence is a leading metrology and manufacturing solution specialist involved in the collection, analysis and active use of measurement data.
Established in 2012, Aachen-based Apodius serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as well as suppliers in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and appliances industries with the development, production and integration of measurement solutions for carbon fibre parts.
The Apodius acquisition adds core capabilities to Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence in the support of measurement solutions for multi-layered textile reinforced structures for extremely light, rigid and robust fibre composite components.
Apodius products take in: AVS, which visually measures the fibre angle of semi-finished textiles and preforms with a resolution of 0.1°; AVS Custom, customised solutions where the measurement of the local fibre orientation is the basis; and AVS 3D, which measures semi-finished and finished components and products through a complete digitalisation of geometry and surface structure.
Say Alexander Leutner and Jonathan Roberz, co-CEOs of Apodius: “Providing highly accurate positioning data, Hexagon’s solutions fit perfectly to our sensors. Furthermore, joining Hexagon is a great opportunity to bring our technology to composite production lines all over the world.”