Non-contact scanning head boasts "unique" features
1 min read
Hexagon Metrology's CMS106 laser line scanning sensor is designed for rapid non-contact scanning of surfaces made from a wide variety of materials, such as machined, stamped, forged, casted or painted metals, sand cores, composites and softer materials like plastics, rubber, clay or wood.
The sensor is compatible with the stationary GLOBAL, ALPHA, DELTA SLANT, LAMBDA and BRAVO co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) from Hexagon Metrology, allowing for fully automated system operation.
Operating by scanned laser triangulation, the CMS106 projects a laser beam on the object and detects the reflection by a CCD camera from which a single measured point is created. By use of a motorised scanning axis, the laser beam scans across the workpiece creating a line consisting of up to 1,000 points.
The sensor has two claimed unique features. First, an independent optical detector that optimises the laser power in real time according to the reflected signal from the surface - this means the user does not have to adjust the laser power since the CMS106 adjusts the laser power, according to the material or inclination of the surface. Second, a three level zoom with selectable laser line lengths of 25, 60 or 120 millimetres allows precise adjust of measurement resolution, to suit the task in hand.
As the sensor traverses across the workpiece mounted on the CMM, the multiple scan lines build up a point cloud made up of many thousands of measuring points. The point cloud can then be compared to a CAD-model to reveal deviations from the nominal values. The new sensor is suitable for the measurement of features and free-form surface inspection to CAD, as well as for reverse engineering applications.
