Hexagon And Authentise Partner To Deliver First Open End-To-End Software Solution For AM
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and Authentise have partnered to extend the Additive Manufacturing (AM) control loop from the machine level to connect the end-to-end value chain from design, manufacturing operations and quality assurance to make additive manufacturing more predictable, repeatable and traceable.
Data from shopfloor manufacturing operations, engineering data from the design phase, materials properties and quality data from validation and inspection processes hold the key to automating serial production improvements and enabling design improvements. However, the technical challenge of connecting these silos and applying these data have inhibited the ability to consistently apply AM to new designs. New solutions delivered through the partnership will apply Statistical Process Control (SPC) with Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to mitigate waste and quality issues during the design phase and improve the repeatability of additive manufacturing processes within a site or between global locations.
Through the partnership, Hexagon and Authentise will build solutions to industrialise AM technology by digitising every step of the workflow from part design through production to final product and quality assurance utilising their unique stack of technology capabilities to connect the digital thread of a part and trace its pedigree. This is made possible by a shared commitment to open architectures that integrate data and automate workflows between Hexagon´s best-of-breed applications for AM and the third-party equipment and software manufacturers chose to use.
Mathieu Pérennou, Global Business Development Director Additive Manufacturing, Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division says, “Together with Authentise, we are building a next-generation framework for our customers to manage flexible, fully digitised production workflows in private cloud environments. For manufacturers, AM is a complex and changing market with many excellent tools, printers and materials to apply. We believe our open and flexible systems will enable us to respond quickly to customer’s needs and integrate with their unique environments. This will connect the data flow and help streamline their workflows in all stages of the AM process – before, during and after production and support their specific standards or compliance needs.”
Authentise is a key partner in Hexagon´s open AM ecosystem, having built an open manufacturing execution system tailored to the specific needs of additive manufacturing methods. This growing ecosystem provides a broad solution portfolio that allows Hexagon to build solutions tailored to the specific needs of customers from different industries and any level of complexity – from achieving high volume production of precision metal gears to first-time-right production of bespoke aerospace parts from composites.
Andre Wegner, CEO, Authentise says, “We are excited to combine Hexagon’s solutions with our open workflow management engine to offer a unique end-to-end solution platform. Integrating data from Hexagon’s best-of-breed software and sensors helps deliver a seamless experience for users, automation across their process, and unlocks the ability to learn from data. This partnership represents a step change for the industry – together we’re delivering the integrated digital thread for additive manufacturing that customers have sought for so long.”
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Hitachi High-Tech Expands High-Performance Metals Analysis Range With The New OE720
Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science has further expanded its metals analysis range with the launch of the OE720. A year ago, the reveal of the ground-breaking Hitachi OE750 caused waves in the industry by making high-performance metals analysis finally accessible to all sizes of metals producers. Designed to help foundries, fabricators and manufacturing plants meet ever more demanding specifications, the new OE720 now joins Hitachi High-Tech’s new OE series. The OE720 boasts the same high-performance as the OE750 but offers an attractive price advantage to companies who don’t need additional gas analysis capability. It features:
High performance made affordable: Complex supply chains and increased use of scrap metal as a base material puts foundries and metals manufacturers under increasing pressure to control tramp and trace elements within the melt and finished product. The new OE720 optical emission spectrometer covers the entire spectrum of elements in metal except for gases like oxygen and hydrogen and has some of the lowest detection limits in its class. The result is an analyser that has the capability of much more expensive instruments, bringing high quality analysis within reach for the first time for many foundries and metals manufacturers.
Innovative technology: The secret to the Hitachi OE series’ performance is its unique LightWing optic design*, coupled with superior CMOS detector technology. This unique combination achieves the very large wavelength range necessary to measure the entire range of elements within metals at ppm levels; essential in meeting today’s tight metals specifications.
Low cost of ownership: The second advantage of the LightWing optics is reduced argon and power consumption, thanks to its ultra-compact design. As well as a fast start-up and measurement time, helping keep costs down and productivity high.
Developed for the aluminum industry: The OE720 is the ideal analyser for aluminum casting as it can determine phosphorous to very low limits in near eutectic and hypereutectic aluminum-silicon alloys. It can analyse antimony, bismuth, lithium, strontium and sodium, and tramp and trace elements, ensuring these can be controlled within the aluminum melt for optimal structural modification. This aids high throughput production, where the quality of the melt needs to be verified at several points.
Faster and easier analysis with comprehensive software: In addition to innovative hardware technology, the new OE720’s performance is also enhanced by innovative new software. The intuitive SpArcfire operating software makes OES analysis quick and easy. The Hitachi GRADE Database, included in the OE720, offers more than 15 million records for over 340,000 materials from 74 countries and standards, reducing time and potential errors from manually consulting grade catalogues. Optional charge correction software automatically calculates the right quantity of material to add to a melt to bring it into spec. ExTOPE Connect wireless technology allows manufacturers to gather live data for real-time decision making even across multiple sites, lines, and production stages.
Outstanding price-performance-ratio: Michael Molderings, Hitachi OES Product Manager, said: “With the recent disruption to business and materials supply chains caused by Covid-19, quality control in metals manufacturing at all stages of the process is more important than ever. But with budgets under pressure, companies need to find affordable solutions. In the past, foundries and metal processing businesses had to choose between high performance analysis and instrumentation that was in their price range. The OE720 is our answer to customers who do not need to analyse the gases in metals but don´t want to compromise on the analytical performance. It offers comprehensive metals analysis in one accessible package.”
With a product designed for every stage, from incoming materials verification to production control, to end product inspection, the OE720 is the latest addition to Hitachi High-Tech’s extensive range of analytical equipment, designed to deliver effective quality control throughout the metals production process.
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Sandvik Coromant Upgrades CoroPlus ToolPath For PrimeTurning Software
Cutting tool and tooling system specialist Sandvik Coromant has upgraded the CoroPlus ToolPath for PrimeTurning software to help manufacturers speed up their operations and planning processes. Part of the Sandvik Coromant digitally connected CoroPlus suite of solutions for machine shops, the software facilitates maximum turning productivity and output.
Introduced by Sandvik Coromant through the unique PrimeTurning concept, the all directional turning methodology enabled increased metal removal rates, offered significant time savings and boosted productivity while eliminating many of the misconceptions associated with small entering angles and chip control. The concept proved especially beneficial in mass production industries such as the automotive sector. It was also ideal for short batch production—for example in aerospace and oil and gas—of components in difficult-to-machine materials that require frequent set-up and tool changes.
To get the best out of the process, including more efficient and faster programming, the company launched its CoroPlus ToolPath for PrimeTurning software, which has now been enhanced with a host of new features, functions and an easy-to-use interface. Available in stand-alone and CAM-integrated versions, the software provides the correct grade, geometry selection, and cutting data while ensuring optimal productivity and tool life as well as maximum output. It is also compatible with a wide range of CNC turning machines that use ISO codes, thereby providing automatic storage for component profiles.
The CoroPlus ToolPath for PrimeTurning now supports profiling and facing for external turning in addition to existing programmable support for longitudinal turning. The software also enables CAD models to be imported (in STEP and IGES formats, amongst others) and offers 3D simulation with collision detection.
A key new feature is an improved and intuitive interface for machinists who don’t have CAM software with PrimeTurning support or those doing shopfloor programming, with the option of operating on desktops or mobile devices. The user is able to generate NC code in few quick and easy steps. After the user specifies the operation, machine parameters, workpiece details and material information, the software automatically recommends the right tools to use along with the cutting data. The operator can simply use the suggested solution or alter parameters to get customised results.
Before creating the final NC code, the PrimeTurning tool path software enables the user to run a simulation to verify no collisions and change any parameters as required, then generate a new programme within seconds and run another simulation until the user is satisfied enough to produce the correct code. The software enables the user to stop anywhere they like in the process, running a simulation block by block or going back into the code if preferred.
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Machine Vision Now Even Faster And Robust With MVTec HALCON 19.05
MVTec Software GmbH, the leading provider of modern machine vision software, announces that May 31, 2019 will be the release date of the new version 19.05 of its standard software, HALCON. This release will further improve machine vision processes with a number of new and revised features. In particular, the expert team at MVTec has enhanced the deep learning technologies available in HALCON. One highlight: In version 19.05, the deep learning inference can also be executed on CPUs with the established Arm processor architecture. This allows customers to use the latest deep learning technologies on standard embedded devices. Deep-learning-based object detection has also been improved: The method, which locates and identifies objects by their surrounding rectangles (so-called bounding boxes) now precisely detects the orientation of the objects.
Significant Improvements In Matching And Code Reading
Other new features in HALCON 19.05 optimise matching processes. For example, users of HALCON’s shape-based matching can now define areas within a search model that should *not* contain any contours. In the context of repetitive structures, this leads to more robust matching results.
Moreover, the new HALCON release also offers several enhancements for surface-based 3D matching. This means that additional parameters can be used to better inspect the quality of 3D edges, resulting in even more robust matching – especially in the case of noisy 3D data.
Optimised Usability In Embedded Environments
“With version 19.05, we are raising our proven HALCON standard machine vision software to a new level. Developers and users alike benefit from numerous new features. These not only include additional, well-thought-out deep learning functions, but also noticeably improved usability in embedded environments,” explained Johannes Hiltner, HALCON Product Manager at MVTec.
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MVTec Launches MERLIC 4
MVTec Software GmbH will issue its new MERLIC 4 software release on February 15. It contains many new and improved features that make the creation of machine vision applications even easier, more efficient, and more user-friendly. The range of functions has also been streamlined with regard to obsolete technologies and thereby optimised for users developing real world solutions.
One highlight of the new version is the parallel processing and execution of different tools. This simplifies the implementation of multi-camera setups and allows for a more efficient use of the system’s computing power. Different machine vision tasks can now be performed in one single instance.
The software also offers 3D vision tools based on height images which, for example, enable users to read embossed text and perform other 3D machine vision tasks. For this, four new tools are included that make it possible to prepare images from 3D sensors or 3D cameras so that inspections can be subsequently carried out using MERLIC’s existing 2D tools.
Greatly Improved Process Integration And Usability
Moreover, MERLIC 4 provides optimised process integration via Hilscher cifX cards of all current form factors. The software can thus communicate with common field-bus and real-time Ethernet industrial protocols, such as PROFINET, EtherCAT, and many others, via Hilscher PC cards. This makes it possible to seamlessly integrate machine vision systems running MERLIC with a programmable logic controller (PLC).
Besides, MERLIC now supports “recipes” which allow for the rapid reconfiguration of different machine vision tasks.
Thanks to a completely redesigned tool flow with an even more intuitive user interface, users can easily arrange and handle tools and elements with the aid of parallel strands and buttons. A “branch trigger” also allows branches between the strands (Branch on Condition) to be displayed more transparently.
In addition, MERLIC 4 allows customised translations of standard texts in the frontend for all languages.
Meeting The Customer’s Exact Requirements
Regarding the MERLIC 4, Sonja Schick, Product Manager MERLIC at MVTec. has stated that, “In MERLIC 4, we provide many new features that will be extremely beneficial to machine vision users, including parallel tool execution, improved process integration, and 3D vision with height images. In this way, we meet a wide range of specific customer requirements that are in greater demand than ever before, not just today but also in the future.” Dr. Olaf Munkelt, MVTec Managing Director, has also added that, “The user-friendliness and usability of machine vision software remains a significant concern in the industry. This is also due to a shortage of skilled labor and the inherently greater flexibility of processes in the Industrial Internet of Things. And this is exactly what we’re aiming for with MERLIC 4.”
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Hypertherm Adds New Features To Rotary Tube Pro Software With Version Update
Hypertherm has announced a minor version update of the Rotary Tube Pro software that makes it easier to design and cut tube and pipe parts with no 3D CAD experience required.
The new minor version update includes a number of new features designed to speed the programming process. For example, automatic nesting is now standard, allowing software users to nest multiple quantities of the same part or different parts on stock tube. Users can add parts to the part list and build a stock list for nesting, maintain the seam orientation during nesting, add part spacing, and choose how the software selects stock.
Other new features include the ability to store multiple parts and nests, plus an advanced edit feature that allows uses to manually adjust preferences like the lead size and position, along with cut sequence. The software also includes features that allow users to pin commonly used lead styles to the top of the list for quick access and offers more powerful reports to better track nests and stock usage.
“Instead of moving tube and undertaking multiple steps—measuring, sawing, drilling, etc.—Rotary Tube Pro really streamlines the production process,” explained Tom Stillwell, a project manager for Hypertherm’s CAD/CAM software team. “And though it is already easy to use, the enhancements introduced with this minor update of Rotary Tube Pro make the process of programming and completing jobs even easier than before, giving fabricators and manufacturers the ability to work more efficiently, boost productivity, and reduce operating costs even further.”
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Vero Software, FASys and SPRING Technologies To Unite Under Hexagon Brand
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has announced the formation of its Production Software business, comprising Vero Software, FASys and SPRING Technologies. The move, which sees the three acquisitions adopting Hexagon’s corporate identity, reflects Hexagon’s broadening expertise in the production technology space.
Hexagon acquired Vero Software, a specialist in CAD and CAM software, in 2014 and has continued to expand and diversify its offering. The 2017 acquisition of FASys brought tooling and resource management software and shop-floor automation and integration expertise into the portfolio. SPRING Technologies, acquired in 2018, provides CNC simulation technology for G-code verification and workflow optimisation. Combining components of this rich portfolio of technology, Hexagon has already utilised this expertise to develop solutions for reverse engineering and on-machine measurement.
“Over the last five years our available technology and solutions have evolved considerably from the CAD CAM heritage of Vero,” explained Steve Sivitter, CEO of the Production Software business. “We’re increasingly focused on developing product synergies that will help customers improve quality and productivity. Our technology experts from Vero, FASys and SPRING have been working very closely together for some time, so operating together as a single entity is a natural step for us. We’re all excited at the prospect of what’s possible now creating innovative manufacturing intelligence solutions in the production software space.”
Norbert Hanke, President of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, added that: “The formation of the Production Software business complements our design and engineering and metrology businesses, enabling us to build unique solutions for our customers in manufacturing. As we develop this approach further, our experience of leveraging data from all phases of the manufacturing process will help create the Autonomous Connected Ecosystems (ACE) that will enable Smart Factories.”
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Marposs: Provaset T3
Marposs’ Provaset T3 is the ideal leak tester for all industrial production sectors and quality labs.
A dedicated software to collect and manage data can be provided together with the equipment.
It possesses a full colour 7” LCD display touchscreen, more than 300 test programmes and test sequences and enables the user to control external automations. The system also contains an interface with barcode and QRcode readers and printers and the possibility to record the tests on USB memories or via Ethernet. This makes it a complete and suitable instrument for the most modern production applications.
Wide full scale versions are available in the following parameters: up to 30 bar; 300 l/min; vacuum and high measurement resolution: up to 0.1 Pa; 0.01 cm3/min.
Existing applications in the mechanic field include: axels, cylinders, flanges, gears, motor reducers, pumps etc.
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Worldwide Spending On Robotics And Drones To Reach USD115.7 Billion In 2019
A new update to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Semiannual Robotics and Drones Spending Guide forecasts that worldwide spending on robotics systems and drones will total USD115.7 billion in 2019, an increase of 17.6 percent compared to 2018. By 2022, IDC expects this spending will reach USD 210.3 billion with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.2 percent.
Robotics systems will be the larger of the two categories throughout the five-year forecast period with worldwide robotics spending forecast to be USD 103.4 billion in 2019. Investments in drones will total USD 12.3 billion in 2019 but are forecast to grow at a faster rate (30.6 percent CAGR) than robotics systems (18.9 percent CAGR).
Robotics spending in 2019 will be dominated by hardware purchases, with nearly two thirds of all spending going toward robotic systems, after-market robotics hardware, and system hardware. Purchases of industrial robots and service robots will deliver nearly 30 percent of the category total in 2019. Robotics-related software spending will largely go toward purchases of command and control applications and robotics-specific applications. Services spending will be spread across several segments, including systems integration, application management, and hardware deployment and support. Software spending is forecast to grow at a slightly faster rate (21.7 percent CAGR) than services or hardware spending (19.0 percent CAGR and 18.2 percent CAGR respectively).
Discrete manufacturing will be responsible for nearly half of all robotics systems spending worldwide in 2019, generating USD 50.2 billion in revenues. The next largest industries for robotics systems will be process manufacturing, resource industries, healthcare, and consumers. The industries that will see the fastest growth in robotics spending over the 2017-2022 forecast are wholesale (31.4 percent CAGR), retail (29.6 percent CAGR), and construction (28.1 percent CAGR). By 2022, IDC expects retail will overtake consumer spending on robotics systems.
“Industrial robotics continues to top the technology investment priorities of manufacturing organisations across all major markets surveyed by IDC in 2018,” said Dr. Jing Bing Zhang, Research Director, Worldwide Robotics. “While the looming trade war between the United States and China is likely to dampen the market growth slightly in the near term, we expect the growth trend to pick up from 2020 onward.”
“The worldwide market for commercial service robotics will continue to grow at a rate of 20% per year for the coming five years,” said John Santagate, Research Director for Commercial Service Robotics at IDC. “This growth is due to continued innovation in ease of use as well as the drive for flexible automation across industries. We expect to see growth driven by increased adoption of autonomous mobile robots and collaborative robots being deployed as a means to deliver improvements in capacity, productivity, and efficiency.”
Spending on drones will also be dominated by hardware purchases with roughly 90 percent of the category total going toward drones and after-market drone hardware. Consumer drones will account for roughly 40 percent of the category total in 2019 with service drones delivering another 18 percent. Similar to robotics systems, drone software spending will primarily go to command and control applications and drone-specific applications. Services spending will be led by education and training and will see the fastest growth (35.9 percent CAGR) over the five-year forecast, followed by software (33.9 percent CAGR) and hardware (301 percent CAGR).
Consumer spending on drones will total USD 5.1 billion in 2019, accounting for a little over 40 percent of the worldwide total. Industry spending on drones in 2019 will be led by utilities (USD 1.4 billion), construction (USD 1.05 billion) and discrete manufacturing (USD 913 million). The industries that will experience the fastest growth in drone spending over the five-year forecast period will be federal/central government (56.0 percent CAGR), education (51.0 percent CAGR), and retail (42.01 percent CAGR). By 2022, IDC expects the resource industry to move ahead of both construction and discrete manufacturing to become the second largest industry for drone spending.
“The market is working to simplify the use and integration of drones with efforts ranging from enabling new drone applications through improved technological capabilities to understanding the regulatory implications of drones and the viability of these applications. Drones are developing new skills, coupling 3D mapping and fully autonomous navigation capabilities with rapid improvements in battery performance and air-traffic management systems. Drone adopters continue to search for a safe, cost-efficient, and repeatable drone solution that can be easily implemented in a variety of situations and use cases,” said Stacey Soohoo, Research Manager, Customer Insights & Analysis at IDC.
On a geographic basis, China will be the largest region for drones and robotics systems with overall spending of $38.5 billion in 2019. Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan and China) (APeJC) will be the second largest region with $23.3 billion in spending, followed by the United States ($17.2 billion) and Western Europe ($13.0 billion). China will also be the leading region for robotics systems with $36.1 billion in spending this year. The United States will be the largest region for drones in 2019 at $4.8 billion. China will deliver the fastest spending growth in both categories with a five-year CAGR of 24.6% for robotics systems and 63.5% for drones.
The Worldwide Semiannual Robotics and Drones Spending Guide quantifies the robotics and drone opportunities from a region, industry, use case, and technology perspective. Spending data is available for more than 60 use cases across 20 industries in nine regions. Data is also available for 18 robotics systems technologies and 16 drone systems technologies. Unlike any other research in the industry, the detailed segmentation and timely, global data is designed to help suppliers targeting the market to identify market opportunities and execute an effective strategy.
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