All Features
Erik Klaas, Arun Chhabra, Pia Böttcher
This article is about how augmented reality (AR) techniques can change the way we use measurement equipment. Three applications are presented to demonstrate how much easier, faster, and more intuitive an inspection task gets through gesture control (GC) and presenting information on the inspected…
Belinda Jones
Location, location, location! Last month, a diverse assortment of metrologists, scientists, engineers, quality control specialists, manufacturers, educators, and students streamed into the 2013 Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC). This annual event was staged at the beautiful Sheraton…
Robb McIvor
Countdowns are usually reserved for events of significant importance, like the classic T minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, ignition, heard so many times from Cape Canaveral. Or a countdown to a momentous occasion like a wedding or a long-awaited product launch.
At the time of this writing, another countdown…
Belinda Jones
During this week’s World Metrology Day festivities, it is fitting to highlight the Coordinate Metrology Society’s longstanding dedication to education and the advancement of the field of 3D portable metrology. Each year, their Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference is held in a different city in…
Robert P. Elliott
Laser trackers and the software that control them have revolutionized the way metrology data has been taken over the last 20 years. With software and hardware advances, taking measurements has become more efficient and accurate.
One of these advances in metrology software is the ability to measure…
ECM Global Measurement Solutions
ECM Global Measurement Solutions (ECM) of Topsfield, Massachusetts is working with ProTom International (ProTom) of Flower Mound, Texas, to install a state-of-the-art proton therapy treatment center in Flint, Michigan, for McLaren Healthcare. This is the first in a series of proton therapy centers…
Robb McIvor
Being that this is Valentine’s Day, I can think of no better time and place to express my undying love—for the technical presentations that are offered each year at the Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference.
CMSC 2013, which is being held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina July 22–26,…
Pravesh Mathur
To demonstrate that a typical spacecraft reflector is designed and manufactured according to specifications and caters to postulated performances, a detailed testing and verification campaign must be conducted. 3D metrology plays an important role in this process.
Conventional coordinate measuring…
Belinda Jones
Two major acquisitions were announced in early January 2013, and it is not surprising that both companies were software developers and long-time players in the industrial measurement sector.
3D Systems announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Geomagic Inc. This acquisition is…
Belinda Jones
The CMS Certification Committee broke new ground this year during the Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference in July 2012. Attendees, both experts and novices, were encouraged to test their general knowledge of portable 3D metrology and contribute to the success of the first, level-one personnel…
Robb McIvor
The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) sends its support to our members and vendors who were affected by super storm Sandy. Families and businesses will need aid and support during the coming months to put their lives back together. You can help by donating money to the American Red Cross at www.…
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics
Few areas of research are as dependent on 3D measurement technology in the setup of its major experiments as fusion plasma physics. Highly developed laser trackers, as well as portable scanning and photogrammetry systems, have opened up a world of possibilities for improving fusion research…
Paul S. Banks
Most existing 3D capture technologies can’t be used to record objects in motion, and they usually require a stationary platform for operation. Some technologies can record 3D data at video rates (e.g., flash LADAR), but their spatial and range resolution are severely limited.
TetraVue, a provider…
The main plant of Hitachi Engineering and Services (HES) has produced pipe spools for large scale plants. These pipe spools have complicated shapes and are made by various types of materials. In the process of these pipe spools fabrication, high accuracy and high throughput are required. Especially…
Robb McIvor
CMSC 2012 is now “in the books,” and it was a smashing success at a great venue in New Orleans. Every year, the conference is filled with up-close looks at the latest portable coordinate metrology technologies, unparalleled networking opportunities and social events, and fantastic white paper…
NDI
Northern Digital Inc. (NDI), a provider of optical and electromagnetic measurement systems for medical and industrial applications, has announced that its parent company, Roper Industries Inc., has acquired Ascension Technology Corp., an industry leader in medical electromagnetic tracking.…
NIST
A new report by a national committee of U.S. industry and university leaders details 16 recommendations “aimed at reinventing manufacturing in a way that ensures U.S. competitiveness, feeds into the nation’s innovation economy, and invigorates the domestic manufacturing base.”
The report was…
Mike Richman
In recent weeks, you have likely heard a lot of chatter about various conventions, conferences, trade shows, and expos. (A rose by any other name....) If you’re sitting there thinking, “Yeah, and you’re one of the chatterboxes,” I’ll respond, “Guilty as charged.” We have frequently discussed trade…
Chuck Pfeffer
Remember when you got your first bicycle? You probably started riding it with training wheels. Soon enough the training wheels came off, and then you eventually went looking for hills and jumps. At some point, as you became better, you took your hands off the handle bars. There was a liberating…
Geomagic
Geomagic, a developer and global provider of 3-D software for capturing, creating, and inspecting digital models of physical objects, has acquired Sensable Technology Inc.’s 3-D design and haptics businesses. Sensable Technology, of Wilmington, Massachusetts, is a leading developer of volumetric…
API Services
This past month API Services and New River Kinematics teamed up for a historic preservation project at St. Luke’s Church and Museum in Smithfield, Virginia. Together, they provided a full building scan and collected point cloud data to keep records for the church and its ongoing restoration.
For…
Belinda Jones
When it comes to metrology, particularly as it applies to portable 3-D applications, no organization is more committed to this discipline than the Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS). Each year, the CMS welcomes abstracts for presentations and technical papers for its annual Coordinate Metrology…
William Fetter
As Atlantis touched down for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center, it marked the poignant end of the Space Shuttle program. However, the precious cargo it left behind at the International Space Station could lead the way to a new wave of future missions. The first Robotic Refueling Mission, a…
Philip Hewitt
Aircraft manufacturing is international, with a complex supply chain dividing work among numerous companies around the world. Globalized manufacturing and outsourcing brings challenges and opportunities for suppliers.
Technical challenges include improving the quality of complex components with…
Chuck Pfeffer
“That’s so 27 seconds ago.” My daughter and I recently heard this catch phrase on a television commercial. We had a good laugh because there was some truth to it. We are living in a world of real-time updates, and it does not stop at news and social media. It extends to all facets of our lives.
In…
