Micro-Epsilon’s gapControl 2711 non-contact laser profile scanner simplifies gap measurement process
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gapControl 2711, a non-contact laser profile scanner designed specifically for the measurement of gaps and edges, is being offered by Micro-Epsilon in response to customers who want to speed up sensor set-up for gap measurement.
Micro-Epsilon's gapControl 2711 laser profile scanner incorporates the same hardware and software interfaces as the company's existing scanControl 2710 and 2810 laser profile sensors, but with specific application software for gap measurement.
gapControl records, measures and evaluates gaps on a variety of different target surfaces. Measuring gaps can be a very complex task, with different industries using different definitions of the optical gap and how this should be measured and evaluated. However, with gapControl's Setup software the user is guided through sensor set-up and configuration very quickly for each gap measurement task.
First, the user selects the basic type of gap to be measured (or gap mode) from a list of common gap types (edgeless gaps, projected gaps, general gaps and V-gaps). With basic gap types such as 'edgeless gaps', no additional configuration of the sensor is required. For more complex gap types, the sensor's Setup software provides predefined, application-specific configuration options that speed up configuration and allow the user to start collecting measurement results as quickly as possible. Even for dynamic processes, gapControl offers 'tracking' functionality which, for example, can be used to follow the centre position in a seam welding process.
The gapControl Setup software enables users to save profiles and measurement results. Saved profiles, even without a gapControl sensor connected, can be re-loaded and all evaluation parameters can be tested on this data in offline mode.
Typical applications for gapControl are automatic (robot) welding machines, pipeline welding, measuring flushness, proximity, gap width and depth, height differences, centre position, angle, collision avoidance and overlapping edges.
There are three different models in the gapControl 2711 range. These measure different gap types up to 300 mm deep by 50 mm wide. The sensor's standard outputs are Ethernet or RS422, although other output types are available via the output unit that enables connectivity to be extended in a modular way.
