360° FMC-Tracker Flexible Measurement Cell

September 10, 2018
360° FMC-Tracker Flexible Measurement Cell

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division announced the launch of the new 360° FMC-Tracker, a flexible measurement cell powered by the "absolute accuracy" of the Leica Absolute Tracker AT960 and the Leica T-Scan 5 laser scanner. Designed to measure mid-to-large sized parts, manufacturers can utilize the in-line, near-line or off-line options of the 360° FMC-Tracker for automated measurement productivity.

Supporting a variety of customer applications, the flexible solution offers reliable high-accuracy surface scanning, feature calculation and discrete point measurement. The 360° FMC-Tracker will be available to U.S. customers in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Leveraging the advanced features of the Leica Absolute Tracker product line, the 360° FMC-Tracker can measure parts with a variety of surfaces and finishes without the need for targets. This capability provides a simplified 3D measurement process less prone to operator error. Programmable automated measurement eliminates productivity-busting bottlenecks at manual process points. The versatile system can easily scale to the appropriate size for any workpiece and measure multiple parts in production. The new system offers a smaller cell footprint and does not require additional robots, temperature compensation artifact and software.

“The 360° FMC-Tracker is ideal for manufacturers looking to integrate quality processes with the speed of automation, without compromising accuracy and flexibility," states Scott Everling, product business development manager for the North America Integrated Solutions Group. "The ‘Absolute’ technology of the AT960 laser tracker has advanced a new-generation of automated manufacturing applications to control and inspect large-volume work pieces. A wide range of industries, particularly the aerospace and automotive sectors, will find this latest addition to the 360° measurement automation portfolio worthy of a closer look, especially manufacturers pursuing Smart Factory initiatives.”

The 360° FMC-Tracker is configurable to a range of specific measurement applications. The system is available in ‘Solo’ and ‘Duet’ configurations featuring one or two turntables. The ‘Runway’ options allow for the addition of a robot slider from 13 to 39 ft. in length. The cell offers further flexibility as the portable laser tracker component can be removed from the cell and used for manual measurement tasks with the supplied laser scanner, a Leica T-Probe, or a reflector for single-point measurement.