BMW Automates Measuring Using Optical White Light Sensors
I
n July of 2016, BMW announced it is using a fully- automated optical measuring cell in its pilot plant in Munich. Two robot arms combined with what are shown as structured light systems from accompany- ing press photos collect 3D data to an accuracy of less than 100 μm.
This is an advance over a confi guration with a
single robot arm. Data is now collected in half the time. Each sensor captures surface patches of 80 × 80 cm that are combined in software to create a 3D map of the entire vehicle.
Their optical measuring cell is used at “the interface between development and series produc- tion.” According to the company, analysis of the data quickly shows deviations, allowing technical integration specialists in the BMW Production division to respond. The company said this fully-automated optical
The BMW automated measuring cell featuring what appears to be two ATOS Triple Scan 16M structured light scanners.
measuring cell is gaining increasing importance within the BMW Group. This technology has been successfully used in toolmaking in Munich since 2015.
features with high precision or relatively small features, such as micro or precision manufacturing, whenever tolerances are in the range of 20 μm or less,” Scherer said. To work optimally, Focus Variation requires an Ra
surface roughness
of 9 nanometers or more. Data speed is up to 1.7 million points per second. After fi rst achieving success in measuring edge prepara- tions for cutting tools, the company expanded its offerings, automating its sensors.
Automation is crucial to Scherer’s vision of a smart eye, and the company turned to collaborative robots, or cobots, in doing so. Why cobots? “We see a shift towards higher precision and at the same time less volume. In previous times, a manufacturer might make a million parts. Today, they might make 50,000 of one kind of part and then switch to producing 75,000 of another,” he said. He believes cobots enable workers in these fl exible manufacturing environments, making them useful and adding value. “We have a cobot mounted on a mobile platform to bring it more easily to a ma- chining center,” he said. The user checks a few key param- eters to set up the machine for making the next set of part numbers, and then moves on to the next task. The newest offerings from Alicona are two new cobot products for defi ned applications, one for long round tools
and the other for turbine disks. The tool solution expands Alicona’s expertise in edge prep measurement with nine-axis measurements on a wheeled portable platform. With the Alicona disk solution, the robot arm with at- tached measuring sensor is manipulated by an operator to the desired surface position. Two handles with integrated joystick are mounted on the sensor. By means of an app, a smartphone displays the live view for either manual or auto- matic precise positioning and measurement.
Standard Solutions, Flexible Automation Another common trend is developing a standard automa- tion solution around existing metrology devices. Metrology companies are now offering standard solutions that integrate robots, enclosures, and fi xturing. Usually aimed at a class of problems, they can be tailored to meet a manufacturer’s throughput and tolerance requirements. In 2014, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence (North Kingston, RI), introduced the 360 Smart Inline Measurement System, or 360 SIMS, using its WLS (white light scanner) structured light devices. According to Hexagon, an in-line system built around a WLS is ideal for automotive body-in- white production because the WLS is relatively insensitive to nearby vibration—it collects data in milliseconds. Making
March 2017 |
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