New high-definition scanner for automated feature inspection

The Apodius Absolute Camera AAC offers an automatic analysis of small repetitive features in aerospace production.
Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division recently launched the Apodius Absolute Camera AAC, a camera-based sensor designed to perform high-resolution analyses of many small repetitive features, such as holes on large aerospace parts. The sensor is specially designed to be part of an automated robotic inspection system controlled by a Leica Absolute Tracker AT960, and can also be integrated directly into a production machine.
The AAFC performs feature analyses with a higher resolution than other contactless measurement solutions. This sensor offers an accuracy of around 10 microns in diameter measurements, even on holes with a submillimeter diameter. Other contactless measurement solutions available for automated integration generally have difficulty processing holes less than 18 millimetres in diameter. With a measurement speed of 10 hertz, the AAFC can track robot movements of 100 millimetres per second, allowing it to process a one-square-metre surface with multiple small features in less than five minutes.
"Many aerospace users had expressed a desire to have such a solution," says Jonathan Roberz, director of the Apodius unit at Hexagon. It can be extremely complex to make a quick and accurate measurement of small holes. Some customers still use calibrated pins for lack of better solutions. Others must transport the parts to the MMT location and abound the many advantages of a suitable automated system. This new sensor allows us to get rid of these manual processes in the context of a modern automated inspection, integrating into a fully automated system whose accuracy meets the requirements of such applications. »
Integrated with an automated laser tracker solution, the AAFC can become a centerpiece in a complete automated inspection system. This sensor is fully compatible with a tool-change system that allows it to be used in combination with a dynamic surface scanner like the Leica T-Scan 5, to ensure an automated inspection of all the features of large components without sacrificing accuracy.
The Apodius Absolute Camera AAC can be ordered today.

Find out more: www.hexagonmi.com