measureupp o r t a b l e C M M N e w s l e t t e r H e x a g o N M e t r o l o g y 0 4 / 2 0 0 7

Challenge of assembling airbus a380 pages 4 − 5product information: Cognitens optigo pages 6 − 7Q&a with Nik suter, Commercial support group Manager pages 8 − 9

exhibitions January – March 2008 Index

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editorial

Autosport InternationalJanuary 10-11, 2008UK, Birminghamwww.autosport-international.com

Sepem Industrie NordJanuary 22-24, 2008France, Douaiwww.sepem-industries.com

NortecJanuary 23-26, 2008Germany, Hamburgwww.nortec-hamburg.de

INTECFebruary 1-6, 2008India, Comibaotrewww.intecexpo.com

Southern ManufacturingFebruary 6-7, 2008UK, Farnboroughwww.industry.co.uk

SamumetalFebruary 6-9, 2008Italy, Pordenonewww.samumetal.it

MedtecFebruary 13-14, 2008UK, Birminghamwww.industry.co.uk

Machine BuildingFebruary 13-14, 2008UK, Birminghamwww.machinebuilding.co.uk

TegaFebruary 14-16, 2008Romania, Timişoarawww.cciat.ro

KALITEFebruary 14-17, 2008Turkey, Istanbulwww.kalitefuari.com

Diemould IndiaFebruary 15-18, 2008India, Bangalorewww.tagmaindia.org

BI-MU MediterraneaFebruary 21-24, 2008Italy, Bariwww.bimu-mediterranea.it

Indiamart AMTEXFebruary 23-27, 2008India, New Delhiwww.triuneexhibitors.com/amtex.html

BIEMHMarch 3-8, 2008Spain, Bilbaowww.bilbaoexhibitioncentre.com

SimodecMarch 4-8, 2008France, La Roche/Foronwww.rochexpo.com

Techni ShowMarch 11-15, 2008Netherlands, Utrechtwww.technishow.nl

RistMarch 18-20, 2008France, Valencewww.rist.org

Industrie et Sous TraitanceMarch 18-20, 2008France, Nanteswww.industrie-nantes.fr

International Machinery and Mould ExpoMarch 28-31, 2008China, Shenzhenwww.simmexpo.com

Industrie 2008March 31- April 4, 2008France, Pariswww.industrie-expo.com

Dear reader,

At this year’s EMO show we welcomed CogniTens as the newest member of our Portable CMM family. CogniTens is a leading manufacturer of white-light scanning solutions and software for dimensional inspection in the automotive industry.

CogniTens’ products allow not only engineers but also less-skilled technicians to quickly inspect the dimensional integrity of vehicle doors, frames, fenders and other body-in-white components. The system is placed on a movable tripod and is free from the requirements typically associated with metrology laboratories: vibrations, changing environmental light or temperature oscillations place no restrictions on performing measurements. Alternatively, the scanning head can even be hand-held by the operator without any effect on the quality of the measurement results.

CogniTens’ Optigo (see pages 6 – 7) perfectly augments the laser scanning offerings from ROMER and Leica Geosystems, adding an extremely robust solution for automotive applications to our product portfolio.

Best regards,

Your measureup Editorial Team

Case study: Challenge of assembling airbus a380pages 4 − 5product Information: Cognitens optigopages 6 − 7local Focus:Q&a with Nik suter, Commercial support group Managerpages 8 − 9end-of-year promotion: roMer omega r-scan 3D reshaperpages 10 − 11 roMoCUt mobile NC modeller in synch with leica geosystems laser tracker pages 12 − 13precision Centers in europepage 14

exhibitions January – March 2008 Index

Record Month for Arm SalesOctober 2007 broke all sales records for ROMER articulated arms. This is attributed to an ever-increasing number of possible measurement instrument configurations (including both tactile inspection and laser scanning), which have created a slew of new application possibilities. Particularly promising is the increased popularity of laser scanning configurations for reverse-engineering jobs.

measureup Goes ElectronicPublished quarterly, measureup has reached thousands of Hexagon Metrology customers all over Europe and beyond. Starting with 2008, the printed quarterly version will be augmented by a monthly electronic newsletter, helping us further broaden our reach.

Leica Geosystems to acquire Elcome Technologies Leica Geosystems AG has signed an agreement to acquire the shares of the Indian company Elcome Technologies. It is planned that the acquisition will be closed and become effective January 1, 2008. For many years Elcome Technologies has been the partner of Leica Geosystems in building up the survey and construction market in India. The acquisition will enable Leica Geosystems to participate even more in the growth within this very dynamic region.

Product Showroom and Service Center in PragueHexagon Metrology will sail into the new year with the opening of a product showroom in Prague. In addition, attesting to the increasing importance of the Central European market is the upcoming opening of a Leica Geosystems laser tracker service center in the Czech Republic. Customers from neighboring countries will be able to get their laser trackers recertified directly at this facility.

Newsticker

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Case studyhad to be mastered: the extraordinary size of individual segments, the oval shape of the aircraft itself (round on other aircraft), double-decker fuselage, and so on. Besides, the tools used for the A340 had to be carried over. These tools had to be adjusted with very high accuracy to allow for the final assembly of the aircraft, and they have to be inspected regularly because they guarantee the correct positioning of different plane segments in space.

The basic concept behind the new assembly method was to inspect the aircraft directly, that is, to inspect its individual segments in relation to one another rather than to use the tools as a reference system, avoiding the whole issue of compounding tolerances. The second task was to find a solution for assembling complex interfaces (i.e. the oval shape of the fuselage and the double-decker aircraft layout). The concept of assembly based on laser-based measurements was selected by the executives in charge of the A380 program.

Martial Charraud, who had previously worked on the sites in Nantes (RCT) and Toulouse (A320), is part of the Thierry Fabre A380 team. He explains: “The first projects on Airbus fuselage assembly by means of laser measurements were developed in close cooperation with the Leica Geosystems headquarters in Switzerland. Having had very positive feedback based on past measurement jobs, we of course approached Leica Geosystems when we were looking for a solution for the work to be done on the A380. The goal was to use our experience with the company and apply it to this new project. Besides, I am very familiar with the Leica Geosystems products and know how reliable they are.”

The A380 assembly line will be used for about 30 to 40 years. This makes selecting good, long-term, dependable partners all the more important. The systems used, especially computer software and automation software, are made obsolete very fast. “Serviceability of old systems is extremely important. We have agreed to long-term cooperation with Leica Geosystems. We have a guarantee that

The Jean-Luc Lagardère site in Toulouse was specially constructed for the A380: final assembly takes place there. The assembly line for the youngest Airbus consists of several segments. The first unit deals with the assembly of the weight/bearing parts of the aircraft. The second unit conducts tests on the assembled aircraft and installs the powertrains. The third unit conducts the open-air tests that prepare the aircraft for its first flight.

Station 40 of the first unit is in charge of the final assembly of the aircraft (both segments and wings). For this purpose, different parts are compared to one another. Strict part geometries have to be adhered to. The project for the assembly of the A380 was begun in 1998. Numerous new challenges

Challenge of assembling airbus a380

measureup 5

if our instruments are subjected to extreme environmental conditions, they will still function as specified,” Fabre emphasizes.

After installing the tools and settling on the adjustment methods, the laser tracker line of sight in very tight quarters had to be analyzed with CAD software. Due to a large number of platforms and structures making up the assembly line, it is very difficult to guarantee the availability of line of sight between measurement points and the laser tracker. “We had to come up with a concept that determines the number of laser trackers needed and the optimal position of each individual laser tracker. This was a particularly challenging task,” continues Charraud.

At first, four Leica Geosystems Laser Trackers were chosen: two for the fuselage and two for the wings. All four laser trackers are intertwined and connected by a common coordinate system. This arrangement guarantees the uniformness and mutual interchangeability of the laser trackers.

Because the measurement system is integrated into the fuselage assembly process, controlled by the assembly workers, they were involved in the development of the human-machine interface from the very beginning. The overall goal was to make using the measurement instruments as simple as possible, especially because most users are not metrology specialists. To make assembly tools as simple as possible, complicated processes had to be taken care of beforehand: automatic control and target location, on-screen result display for determining the correct part positioning, and so on.

An added difficulty of the project was the fact that the entire measurement system had to be inspected even before the first aircraft was present on the assembly line – neither fuselages nor wings war available at that time. Therefore, test and inspection procedures had to be developed that effectively simulated the dimensions of the aircraft. The first-ever aircraft (MSN O1) has allowed the team to inspect the entire measurement system in a 1:1 scale.

“Permanent improvements and the increases in the output mandate even better dependability and improvements to the aircraft-segment positioning procedure in order to reduce cycle times – this is one of our main concerns both today and in the future. These improvements include optimizing the algorithms for the positioning of aircraft parts to one another,” explains Fabre and continues, “Thanks to the capable and dependable Leica Geosystems Laser Trackers, aircraft assembly based on laser measurements is a technologically mature process and can be carried over to other programs within our organization. After the measurement methods we developed were carried over to the military A400M project, the will most likely be used on the upcoming A350 program as well!”

Contacts

Full version of this case study available opon request using the feedback form in the back.

For further information, please contact your closest Hexagon Metrology Precision Center (see list on page 14) www.portable-cmm.comwww.airbus.com

CogniTens is the leading provider of comprehensive dimensional measurement solutions, focused on improving common engineering and manufacturing processes in the automotive industry.

Dimensional Measurement is an increasingly significant strategy, which allows automotive manufacturers to accelerate product introductions, reach higher product quality, reduce production costs and bring about higher profits for each product.

For over a decade, our shop floor metrology systems, based on advanced non-contact optical measurement technology, have helped leading OEMs and suppliers speed up time-to-market, improve functional and perceived product quality and strengthen their core capabilities in an ever increasing competitive environment.

product info: Cognitens optigo

Hexagon Metrology ventures into white-light scanning

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CogniTens dimensional measurement solutions assists car manufacturer and suppliers in:

Improving product quality Reducing engineering and production

costs Accelerating vehicle ramp-up and launch Speeding up the time-to-market

The global market is rapidly accepting CogniTens solutions considered as advantageous alternatives to conventional measurement and gauging systems.

Five key reasons why customers choose CogniTens as their partner of choice:

We offer highly versatile systems suited for industrial metrology applications throughout the product lifecycle

Ranging from prototype part inspection, die build & tryout validation to replacing hard checking fixtures for automotive parts and assemblies with virtual gauging technologies, CogniTens both manually operated and fully automated systems offer a robust multipurpose solution for common industry processes.

Our products provide the fastest, most detailed and meaningful measurement results

Getting full dimensional information concerning the measured object is critical for qualifying the parts or guiding adjustment/ rework operations. Our products provide highly informative dimensional data including

complete surface deviation from CAD, features and edge positions, cross section measurements and other results in real time.

Our systems are optimized for operation in your emanding engineering & production environment

Unlike other systems CogniTens products were designed for robust operation directly on the shop floor. Our unique technology makes OptiCell and Optigo immune to common production line conditions such as vibrations, ambient light, temperature changes and supports measurement of untreated small to very large parts and assemblies.We meet most demanding industry standards for safety, quality & measurement reliability

Our products have been certified by international organizations and have proven to meet strict quality and safety requirements for industrial metrology systems. Dozens of independent studies also confirmed our high correlation with CMM measurement results and compliance with Gauge R&R requirements.

Our solutions are easily integrated with existing metrology systems & software

CogniTens values your company’s past investments in other measurement systems and software products. This is why we’re developing our products to easily interface with your legacy systems and leverage the power of past investments coupled with our advanced solutions.

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measureup What characterizes the Asian market?

Nik suter: As in other markets around the world, it is unwise to make sweeping generalizations about Asia as a whole, but one characteristic seems to be prevalent no matter where one goes: the importance of long-term personal relationships. Behind every successful sale lie months if not years of careful relationship- and trust-building. By virtue of our limited human resources on the Asian market in the past, we were able to generate only modest sales results. However, our integration into Hexagon Metrology has created a cascade of new opportunities. Whereas in the old days we only had 2 – 3 employees dedicated to the Asian market, today we are able to fall back on the vast and well-organized professional network of sales, support and service colleagues who have helped us majorly increase our visibility on this important market.

measureup Nik, you’re a true metrology veteran. You started your career at Leica Geosystems more than 17 years ago. Before Leica Geosystems’ integration into Hexagon Metrology, you were a Commercial Support Manager for Eastern Europe. As of lately, your responsibility has gone global, with particular emphasis placed on the Asian market, whose importance has been growing exponentially over the past few years.

Nik suter: There is a Chinese saying that goes something like this: “The best opportunity to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second-best opportunity is today.” Following our integration into the Hexagon Metrology organization, a number of previously closed doors or doors that were merely open ajar have been flung open, allowing us to grow our business by leaps and bounds, generating sales revenues unforeseen just a few years ago.

thinking beyond europe: building lasting relationships in asian markets Interview with Nik suter, Commercial support group Manager

crucial element in our efforts to grow our business in Asia. And these investments are beginning to pay off handsomely.

With 2 engineers based in the service center and one field engineer, the Qingdao service centre covers the Chinese service needs and has the capacity to offer services to other Asian countries as well. With regional headquarters located in Singapore, a demo system in the region also became available, and the availability of a dispatchable demo system is crucial in the early phases of building up the portable metrology business.

In India, we have further expanded the knowledge base of the sales and support team members of Elcome, our dealer partner. On top of this, we have successfully trained the local Hexagon Metrology organization on the use and the sales of our equipment. With their strong relationships with the business in the local market, Elcome will let us further expand in the automotive sector, which is currently experiencing a tremendous growth.

All these combined efforts have translated into a fantastic year 2007 in China, Japan and Korea. In the future, we plan on continuing building lasting, trusting relationships with both our Asian dealers and, by extension, with our existing and prospective customers. With the huge benefit of having the resources of the Asian Hexagon Metrology organization, we are poised to meet our business forecast for the upcoming quarters and also plant the seeds for sustainable, mutually beneficial presence on the entire Asian market.

measureup What concrete experiences have you had with partners in Asia?

Nik suter: When some three years ago Leica Geosystems teamed up with Tokyo Boeki Techno System (TTS), a dealer covering the Japanese market, we quickly realized the importance of solid, long-term relationship in order to be successful in Japan but also in other countries covered by TTS. After numerous visits to potential customers by our sales people, support engineers and other staff members, our efforts are finally beginning to bear fruit: the Japan market is flourishing.

Our partnership with Tokyo Boeki has further intensified. In addition to the fantastic sales to automotive companies, Tokyo Boeki has built up an excellent knowledge base of our hardware and software, allowing them to provide first-class technical support. And, to prove we truly operate globally, we have recently sent our French service engineer to Japan to support the delivery of a large number of Leica T-Scan systems to Toyota.

measureup What role does having a local organization play in carving out a larger share of the metrology cake in different Asian markets?

Nik suter: The Chinese Hexagon Metrology organization, with their headquarters and factory in Qingdao, has taken on the Leica Geosystems Laser Tracker business in the most remarkable way. With a large number of installed systems in China, the need for a service center was apparent. An intensive cooperation of the Chinese service engineers and our service group in Unterentfelden has resulted in the creation of a fully operational and well-equipped service center in Qingdao. Within one year, they were able to build up a dedicated, very motivated and talented support force capable of performing demos, trainings, benchmarks and daily support for all our hardware and software packages. In doing so, they have been a

measureup 9

“behind every successful sale lie months if

not years of careful relationship- and trust-

building.”

Nik suter, Commercial support group Manager

10 measureup

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measureup 11

The combination of a ROMOCUT mobile modeler and a Leica Geosystems laser tracker is a great example of the brand synergies within Hexagon Metrology. The two products perfectly complement one another, resulting in a one-of-a-kind setup ideally suited for prototyping in automotive design studios.

ROMOCUT is a NC milling tool developed by ROMER France, a leading manufacturer of portable articulated arms. Thanks to its unique design, ROMOCUT allows designers to create new models in record times. It mills all standard soft materials used in design studios, including lab, polystyrene, resins, clay and similar; on the other hand, it can also be used for modifying and correcting existing parts right on the shop floor. ROMOCUT is easy to install and to run, and saves considerable time by letting designers modify full-scale models in real time on site.

12 measureup

A laser tracker from Leica Geosystems is used to track ROMOCUT’s motion within its working area. Thanks to the laser tracker’s high accuracy within a large measurement volume, the position of the milling head can be kept within very tight tolerances, resulting in extremely realistic models. Because there is no mechanical connection between the laser tracker and ROMOCUT, the former can be kept at a convenient distance away from the milling operation, creating no clutter in or around the workspace area, enabling easy access to both the milling head and the model itself.

ROMOCUT is the first milling tool that delivers on the promise of providing clean, quiet operation. It creates no dust during the milling process (polystyrol only) thanks to the hollow tool and the integrated vacuum system (total efficiency with polystyrene). The noise level is kept to an acceptable 80dB or lower. ROMOCUT doesn’t require any construction work during the installation, saving you money.

portable CMM products Increase productivity, reduce Costs

roMoCUt & leica geosystems laser tracker In-synch

measureup 13

Features:

Quick setup, requiring only 15 minutes for referencing (one-time only) and 5 minutes for the milling tool Speed: traverse speed of the tool at the top of the arm limited to 6m/min, speed of the 4th,5th and

6th axis of the arm limited for safety reasons Noise level linked to spindle speed, depth and feed rate: during roughing mode, 20 mm tool path,

10 mm pitch, it moves at 6m/min speed generating 80dB of noise at 1 m distance. Finishing mode measurements done for path of less than 2 mm Minimum dust during roughing and finishing modes when tools recommendations and path depths

are honored Safety: the arm is equipped with emergency stops and with SICK sensors monitoring the working

area; two operating modes: in alert mode, a signal indicates if you are too closely approaching the protected area; in emergency stop mode, entering the protected area completely shuts down the tool, with a restart possible only after clearing the protected area and conducting a process reset Easy installation, requiring a 3-phase outlet at 400 V± 10%; 50 Hz ± 2% (EU version) + neutral +

ground, 32A outlet

precision Centers in europe

14 measureup

editorial measureup c/o Leica Geosystems AGMoenchmattweg 5CH-5035 UnterentfeldenSwitzerland

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New intelligent counterbalanceRetrofit your ROMER articulated arm with a custom-made counterbalance!

- Better comfort of use, more professional handling

- Great design- Reduce muscle stress thanks to ease

of operation- Swung back in fixed position without

trim and without necessary lock- Larger measurement volume

(without strain on B axis)

Contact your local Hexagon Metrology sales organization for specific details on this new feature!

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