Hexagon keeps track of precision

MTDCNC recently visited Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence (HMI) where the team took a closer look at the Leica Absolute Tracker. The Leica Absolute Tracker is seen throughout the industry whether it be machine shops, the rail industry, the aerospace sector or even the building and construction industry, MTDCNC spoke with Jon Kimber Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence to find out more.

Jon Told MTDCNC: “We do have within the Leica Geosystems business that Hexagon owns, two ranges of systems. So, you might have seen total stations that are used outside to measure bridges roads and other large infrastructure projects. What we have done is we have taken that technology and tweaked it and made it applicable to the metrology side of our business. The result of that is the brand-new Leica ATS 600 Absolute Tracker. This is the first tracker of its kind; it has reflectorless capability and this means we can use it just like a normal laser tracker for measuring objects. We can then also set it off, on its own to scan a remote surface.”

“The system can measure a thousand points per second at a range of 60m with a very good accuracy level. This allows us to measure parts that may be inaccessible or unsafe to reach – and it’s also super quick. We have a very wide range of surfaces that we can measure, so it doesn’t matter what shape that surface is; as long as a laser can see it, we can measure it. We have a very well-tuned laser that gives excellent feedback. It also has great signal intensity, so whether it is dark or light surfaces, we can measure the surfaces that are often tricky in the metrology industry.”

Looking closer at the manufacturing arena, and where the new ATS 600 Absolute Tracker fits in, Jon says: “Leica can often develop and release an instrument and afterwards we work out where it fits into industry. We have had an excellent response and a great number of sales in the railway industry for example. This industry is making very large objects such as railway carriages and we have several applications such as measuring the bogies, measuring the carriages and even doing safety checks. This includes measuring the carriages before they are released back onto the network to ensure that they are not going to clash with any of the furniture and fittings at stations.”

“At the time we first had the Absolute Tracker, we weren’t quite sure where it would fit in our portfolio, but the first few significant sales were in the aerospace, shipbuilding and marine industries. Previously these industries had to send guys up on a cherry picker with harnesses to measure large structures, now they just point the laser and the measurements are taken. We can simply and rapidly measure the whole aircraft at speed if we are checking the structure for damage. In these instances, we may not be looking for micron accuracy but may be a millimetre or two and this system can certainly do that.”

Looking a little closer at the software system that drives the Leica Absolute Tracker, Jon says: “At launch, the Leica Absolute Tracker was immediately compatible with four of our software platforms. Some of those systems are Hexagon based and others are not, as we can appreciate that some customers have personal preferences. We have recently launched another software system, which is called Inspire. This is a new entry-level software that has exceptional capabilities for ‘point clouds’. Systems like the Absolute Tracker ATS 600 need large ‘point clouds’ as they are measuring thousand measurement points per second.”

From a demonstration perspective for end-users, Jon concludes: “the large volume products that we sell, like the Leica trackers, they are in the back of the van and we can visit customers to demonstrate. The systems are battery-powered, they use Wi-Fi and its IP54, so we absolutely love going out on-site to do practical demonstrations and measurements.”