Non-Contact Probe Enables Force-Free Measurement of Gear Profiles

Hexagon Metrology’s HP-O non-contact scanning probe is intended as an alternative to tactile analog measurement and scanning probes, and is well-suited for scanning large parts and those that are rotationally symmetric. The device exerts no physical impact on the workpiece for force-free measurement of blisks, blades, gear profiles, flank lines and other potentially deformable parts without a loss of accuracy. Its 3-mm-diameter and measurement range of 20 mm provides access to points that are not accessible to tactile probes, the company says, and optical measurements can be capture in single-point or scanning mode.

According to Hexagon, the probe delivers repeatability of less than 0.3 microns when used with its Leitz PMM-C CMM. Offering an acceptance angle of ±30 degrees, the probe can measure difficult-to-access features at a scanning speed of 1,000 points per second for rapid throughput. Additionally, the probe’s scanning technology is based on frequency-modulated interferometric optical distance measurement and is not affected by ambient light. It is multi-sensor compatible in a single part program using a standard toolchanger.