Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence launched their latest system software release and a new Ethernet Real Time Feature Pack (RTFP) for the Leica Absolute Tracker AT960 and AT930. This groundbreaking combination delivers the industry’s first 7DOF measurement solution designed to empower Factory of the Future applications such as laser tracker-based machine control and robotic guidance. This technology adds a time dimension to the measurement data acquired by the laser tracker, made possible by interfacing its LMF communications with the new industrial EtherCAT protocol.

The laser tracker’s 7DOF measurement capability enables real-time machine control for milling, drilling, grinding, polishing and other processes in a large-scale manufacturing environment. For example, an off-the-shelf 6-axis robot could be deployed with a Leica AT960 laser tracker and Leica T-MAC to precisely measure and correct in real-time the movement of the robot’s end effector for in-place, production operations on the factory floor. The machine control system can be synchronized accordingly and corrections can be applied in real time – even in dynamic robotic setups.