Most, if not all, quality professionals are aware that multisensor measurement systems have been around for a long time—since the 1980s, as some of us may remember—and they realize the obvious benefits when combining optical and tactile measuring into one system. We’ve seen improvements over the years on both the low-end and high-end systems, including more features, better optics and the inclusion of touch scanning. There’s no need to go into a detailed history of this product category, but it is important to note that these systems were usually good at performing one type of measuring, not so good at the other(s), and not good at all in using them together in the same measuring run. Today, that’s all changed with the convergence of the best hardware and, more importantly, the right measuring software to make it a capable system for all of your needs.
Let’s face it. If you could move a multisensor measurement system to the shop floor to increase efficiency even more, you probably would. So what are the latest improvements in the hardware of systems that would give you the confidence to make that change? Multisensor systems are now resistant to many of the shop floor influences. Integrated dampening systems, for example, allow inspection machines to be highly resistant to vibrations and workpiece sensors allow the systems to compensate for temperature changes. To provide resistance to hazardous parts and water, some bases have various IP ratings. Historically, optical measuring systems alone have not been designed for the shop floor and lack many of these features.