Focus point cloud software platform

Focus  offers tightly integrated data acquisition – via CMM or handheld scanners – and intelligent processing and reporting. Direct access to workflow selection, customization and automation facilitate the setup and execution of processing jobs. Focus drives seamlessly latest-generation Nikon Metrology CMM and handheld laser scanners, and supports many CMM and articulated arm brands.

Driving a digital inspection process

Digitizing components up-front and running inspection on the digital copies of the samples, streamlines metrology operations and embeds them into the digital CAD-centric development process. As a Digital Inspection Process provides more profound metrology insight, it is essential to improve and accelerate styling, tooling, prototyping and series production.

Easy-to-use inspection workflows for both operators and engineers

The user interface is workflow-oriented to minimize the number of clicks required to move from point clouds to graphic geometry reports. Focus allows engineers to tune the process exactly as desired, whereas operators easily manage and run inspection jobs. During measurement, they monitor the inspection progress and outcome using easy-to-interpret and numerical result displays.

Easy preparation of measurement programs

Focus Inspection offers the possibility to read product manufacturing information (PMI) from the CAD file. Using this information, features are retrieved automatically from the point cloud and evaluated to their tolerances. This eliminates the error prone and time consuming entry of dimensions and tolerances. The creation of the inspection program by teach-in does not require any programming skills.

Most complete set of functions for digital surface inspection

Part-to-CAD inspection compares the acquired point cloud with nominal CAD data, resulting in crystal-clear geometric deviation displays. Freeform surface inspection is ideal for studying material springback and shrinkage phenomena and to verify that the shape of the part is within geometry specifications.

Freeform surfaces

• Full part-to-CAD inspection
• 2D and 3D sections
• Wall thickness, edge analysis, etc.
• Customizable fly-outs for clear interpretation

Intelligent feature detection and analysis algorithms resulting in high productivity and consistent results

Focus extracts geometric features highly accurate, thanks to the thousands of measurement points captured by the scanner. The multitude of points allows the software to apply very accurate fitting to determine the exact position and orientation of a wide range of features. These algorithms have been developed based on comparison of tactile feature measurement on actual parts.

Geometric features

• Automatic and semi-automatic feature detection
• 2D features: surface point, hole, slot, plane, etc.
• 3D basic features: cylinder, sphere, etc.
• 3D advanced features: T-stud, welded stud, diamond pin, etc.
• Sectional inspection of flush & gap between assemblies (body, door, trunk, etc.)
• Definition of user-specific flush & gap and edge point calipers

Critical in obtaining a perfect assembly is measuring whether feature geometries meet the specified tolerances. Focus Inspection supports the internationally accepted ASME Y14.5 GD&T standard, illustrating the value it brings as a true metrology solution.

• Imports GD&T data from nominal CAD
• Complete set of certified GD&T functions to define tolerances on form, orientation and location
• PTB certified feature calculation algorithms

Easy-to-interpret and interactive reporting to facilitate decision making

Correct decision making is based on the fast and unambiguous interpretation of measurement results. Because 3D graphical deviation reports provide results in an easy understandable format, Focus Inspection facilitates the communication between operators, managers and suppliers.

• Customizable Microsoft Excel template based reporting
• Statistical Process Control (SPC): Q-Stat, QC-Calc, DMIS, txt
• Data export to a variety of file formats to flexibly share results with other users and applications
• Free Focus Viewer software to create user-specific 3D analysis reports

Virtual assembly for faster decision-making and shorter pre-production processes

Digital copies of reference parts are used to build an assembly with CAD models or other point cloud data. This approach saves material by avoiding expensive templates, fixtures and scrap. It also saves time by avoiding lengthy physical assembly builds, resulting in faster decision-making and shorter pre-production processes.

Share 3D results with colleagues and customers with free Focus viewer

Focus Inspection reports include part-to-CAD comparison plots with color-coded areas marking local geometry deviation. Quickly gaining relevant insight is critical in identifying the source of a problem and keep production quality up to level. The license-free Focus Viewer allows graphic reports to be shared easily with colleagues and suppliers, who use it for interactive analysis purposes.

Inspection automation without requiring programming skills

Focus Inspection can easily be set up to execute alignment, filtering and meshing as well as analysis and reporting automatically. Focus Inspection incorporates standard automation functionality that supports non-stop execution of repetitive inspection tasks. This allows multiple scan files or even the complete inspection cycle of a series of specimens to be processed automatically.

• Automation of CMM-based scan process and inspection analysis
  Macro-based recording of actions:
  No specific programming skills required