Starrett’s HDV300 and HDV400 Improve Accuracy, Illumination

The new generation of L.S. Starrett’s HDV300 and HDV400 benchtop digital video comparators are said to provide increases in speed, illumination and convenience. Faster CNC motion enables greater user measurement throughput. At 10 mm per sec., speed on the Y axis has tripled, while X-axis speed has almost doubled at 45 mm/sec. Improved LED ring lighting provides consistent illumination, while linear glass scales provide 0.00002" (0.5 µm) of resolution to read stage motion.

The computer and M3 controller are located inside the HDV housing, resulting in minimal external wiring and connections. An optional clean air kit keeps airborne dust and contaminants out of the measuring system and control electronics. A new workstage design features a 21" × 5" top plate, 12" × 6" of travel and a 110-lb workload capacity for increased accuracy and productivity.

The MetLogix M3 touch screen software with M3 DXF/FOV option enables the import of DXF CAD files over a network. The software makes automatic 2D “go/no-go” comparisons to an engineering design by using video edge detection, with no need for the Mylar overlays required with conventional optical comparators. This increases measurement throughput while eliminating operator subjectivity, the company says. Geometric 2D functions include points, lines, circles, arcs, rectangles, distance, slots, angles and skew.

Field-of-view (FOV) measurements can encompass an entire small part up to 2.47" x 1.85", or a feature of a larger part. FOV measurements can be integrated with stage motion to measure larger parts.