GF AgieCharmilles Manufacturing Cells Compatible With All Hexagon Metrology CMMs

29 August 2008

At last year's EMO trade show, GF AgieCharmilles, a Swiss firm, presented ConceptCell, a system that combines different assembly techniques such as graphite milling, wire and plunge electrical discharge machining (EDM) as well as 3- and 5-axis milling in an automated manufacturing cell. Thanks to a newly developed interface for the PC-DMIS measurement software, GF AgieCharmilles' manufacturing cells can now incorporate the entire spectrum of Hexagon Metrology CMMs. That way, Hexagon Metrology can function as a project partner for GF AgieCharmilles automation projects all over the world.

The interconnection of the tools is carried out through a 7-axes handling device, a linearly operating industrial robot by Fanuc Robotics. The handling device transports parts from station to station. It tends to several collet chucks, whose number was adjusted based on the individual project at hand. The palette magazine capacity is also specifically determined for each project. A central PC running the cell control software automatically guides all processes. The cell control software automatically loads specific part programs into the CMM through a dedicated interface. Then, the program is remotely initiated. The interface operates with all PC-DMIS standard part programs. To this end, some interface-specific parameters have to be inserted into the program.

On the one hand, the CMM is used to determine the offset data during the preparation for production. The collected offset data is transferred from the CMM to the cell control software. Tools use this data as reference points in part machining. On the other hand, the CMM is used for quality control of complete parts. During quality inspection of complete parts, an output protocol is created as a Word document, an Excel table or a PDF file.

The GF AgieCharmilles manufacturing cells with the integrated CMM technology from their project partners at Hexagon Metrology increase both the flexibility and the efficiency of the manufacturing processes. One of these automated solutions will be shown to American audiences for the first time at the IMTS trade show taking place between September 8 – 13, 2008. This solution combines 5-axes milling and wire electrical discharge milling with a Brown & Sharpe Global Advantage 7.10.7 CMM from Hexagon Metrology.

About Hexagon Metrology
Hexagon Metrology offers a comprehensive range of products and services for all industrial metrology applications in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, energy and medical. We support our customers with actionable measurement information along the complete life cycle of a product – from development and design to production, assembly and final inspection.

With more than 20 production facilities and 70 Precision Centers for service and demonstrations, and a network of over 100 distribution partners on five continents, we empower our customers to fully control their manufacturing processes, enhancing the quality of products and increasing efficiency in manufacturing plants around the world. For more information, visit www.hexagonmetrology.com.

Hexagon Metrology is part of Hexagon (Nordic exchange: HEXA B; www.hexagon.com). Hexagon is a leading global provider of design, measurement and visualisation technologies that enable customers to design, measure and position objects, and process and present data.

Hexagon Metrology Services Ltd.
World Headquarters Office
Cedar House
78 Portsmouth Road
Cobham, Surrey
KT11 1AN
Great Britain

For further information, please contact:

Europe, Middle East & Africa
Birgit Albrecht, Marketing & Communications Manager
Phone: +41 44 809 35 71, e-mail: press@hexagonmetrology.com

Americas
Bill Fetter, Director of Marketing and Communications
Phone: +1 847 931-0100 ext. 5234, e-mail: press.us@hexagonmetrology.com

Asia Pacific
Shruti Khanna, Lead Consultant - Marketing Communications
Phone: +91 99636 86763, e-mail: shruti.khanna@hexagonmetrology.com

China
Lu Liao, Marketing Manager
Phone: +86 532 8089 5236, e-mail: lu.liao@hexagonmetrology.com

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