Many manufacturers are still using hand tools like calipers, micrometers, or height gages for parts measurement, causing problems with consistency and measurement for complex geometries. 3D scanning provides a more comprehensive inspection report for in-process and final verification for a wide variety of industries. To automate this process, 3D Infotech has developed the UMA Smart Station, a standardized system integrated with Universal Robots collaborative robots. Driven by 3D Infotech’s Streamline software, the UMA station allows for the adding of 3D scanners to the end of UR3e, UR5e and UR10e cobot arms for advanced Scan-to-CAD comparison and inspection capabilities, including GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing). A recent UMA station customer, Royal Technologies, needed to scan a wide range of parts. “Some operators would miss certain features of the part, resulting in bad parts, now we catch anything that is deviated. To summarize, it has improved speed, quality, and overall performance,” says Trevor Lipsey, launch coordinator at Royal Technologies.
At the show, 3D Infotech will also mount a projector on the cobot arm, projecting inspection results back onto the part through the company’s Spotlight AR++ software, an augmented reality solution that can project colors maps, inspection results, and visual instructions directly on the part. Following the automated 3D scanning and inspection of the part, visitors will be able to visually see the results on the physical object rather than viewing a 2D inspection report. Spotlight AR++ further expands the collaboration between man and machine as the cobot can provide the operator with visual instructions from many points of view.