Inspection Software Simplifies Repetitive Measurement

Delcam's PowerInspect 2014 inspection software features updates designed to speed up and simplify repetitive measurements. The software is capable of taking a variety of simple measurements as well as inspecting geometric features and analyzing complex 3D surfaces. Users can create custom toolbars to group frequently used commands together, facilitating faster measurement, then export the toolbars to transfer them to a different PC or share with other operators.

During inspection, 2D features such as circles and slots are projected to a reference plane. To promote shorter sequence trees, PowerInspect 2014 offers the ability to create compound items that combine the plane and the feature together into a single compound feature. By default, only the properties of the 2D features are reported. Though primarily designed for the building and calibration of fixtures, this function is suited to other scenarios requiring the user to re-measure and adjust features within an assembly.

Measurement dialogues can display nominal, deviation and error values, enabling faster recognition of whether a measured feature is in tolerance. The ability to create a probed ellipse facilitates measuring different geometric features, such as bends in tubing and ductwork applications. In addition, calibrations can be recorded in the probe database for greater data traceability. 

PowerInspect 2014 also includes improved support for the Renishaw PH20 probe. The probe's five-axis motion enables taking measurement points by only moving the head rather than the whole CMM structure, easing access to features at different angles and minimizing stylus changes.