Wilcox Associates Inc., a Hexagon Metrology company, recently announced the release of PC-DMIS Planner software. The toolset improves the flow of information between the design department, which designs parts in the virtual CAD world, and the engineering department, which manages the quality control function and inspects “as built” parts in the real world. PC-DMIS Planner was developed to create a formalized two-directional data flow between a CAD model and its related inspection part programs.

“PC-DMIS Planner automates one of the last significant disconnects in manufacturing,” says Joe Zink, product manager for PC-DMIS Planner. “We have great tools to design parts using 3-D CAD, and we have powerful tools to inspect parts using 3-D CAD. But the missing link was a vehicle to enable these two worlds to communicate changes to each other. Additions, deletions and changes to a CAD model are often dealt with using ad-hoc methods prone to error. PC-DMIS Planner is a solution designed to formally communicate new information, automatically identify the specific impact to inspection programs, and keep an ongoing record of all changes.”

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