Hexagon automates the loading of coordinate measuring machines (CMM) with METRICAL, thereby creating the conditions for fully autonomous inspection of workpieces of various sizes. The system takes over the sorting as well as the loading and unloading of the workpieces, thus allowing for a higher inspection throughput with a lower need for manual intervention. This addresses two central challenges in the manufacturing industry: the global shortage of skilled workers in quality inspection and the increasing pressure to operate production efficiently around the clock.
“Given the tight labor markets, increasing product complexity, and the pressure to produce around the clock, inspection teams often have to reconcile demanding measurement tasks with recurring manual loading and unloading processes,” explains Jörg Deller, Vice President Product Technology Hardware, Division Stationary Metrology at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. “METRICAL eliminates this bottleneck by automating the handling of workpieces, thus enabling more continuous measurement cycles with minimal human intervention.”
METRICAL can be seamlessly integrated into Hexagon's current and existing CMM portfolio – including the new MAESTRO CMM and GLOBAL Scan+. This allows manufacturers to implement automated inspection both with new systems and with already installed measuring systems.
METRICAL: developed for continuous inspection in mass production
METRICAL supports automated measurement processes and enables workpieces to be autonomously sorted, loaded, measured, and unloaded across multiple layers. This allows manufacturers to increase the utilization of their coordinate measuring machines (CMM) and their inspection capacities while deploying qualified employees for more demanding tasks such as programming, analysis, and optimization of inspection processes. METRICAL increases the throughput and utilization of CMMs, contributing to better overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). At the same time, the system reduces dependence on scarce skilled workers in quality inspection and enables unattended inspections outside regular working hours. By more targeted allocation of personnel resources, operator productivity also increases. Thanks to its flexible automation, METRICAL can adapt to changing production requirements.
Scalable configurations for changing inspection volumes
METRICAL is available in three configurations with three, five, or seven preparation stations, allowing it to be adapted to different production volumes and spatial conditions in manufacturing. The modular design enables manufacturers to gradually increase the degree of automation and flexibly adjust the inspection capacity to the respective needs. The system can be quickly installed and configured, allowing manufacturers to begin automated inspection shortly after commissioning without having to go through lengthy integration processes.
Transforming downtime into productive capacity
By reducing waiting times between measurement cycles, METRICAL allows manufacturers to better utilize the capacity of their CMMs across multiple shifts while ensuring consistently high inspection quality. The system improves machine utilization by shortening unproductive times between inspections. Additionally, it increases workplace safety by reducing repetitive manual handling and creates more flexibility for different shifts and product variants.
Intelligent software for easy automation
METRICAL features an intuitive, visual software interface that simplifies the setup of tasks and the planning of inspection processes. Dashboard-based monitoring functions provide real-time insights into production status and help teams optimize the utilization of CMMs and the efficiency of inspection processes. Thanks to the modular clamping technology, inspection processes can also be quickly adapted to new workpieces. This allows manufacturers to respond flexibly to changing production requirements without having to make complex reprogramming.
METRICAL is one of several automation and AI-based innovations with which Hexagon is further developing quality inspection this year. Additional enhancements to the CMM portfolio will be presented by Hexagon in the coming weeks.
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