The manufacturing industry embraces 3D CAD models for the inspection process.

July 2, 2022 10:32 am

Talking about the product functionalities with OEM Update, Amar Kulkarni, Vice President of Sales, Polyworks India, said “that many businesses are going digital rapidly, we have developed new functionalities to support our customers digital transformation efforts”.

Products and the solutions at IMTEX 2022 

Polyworks India demonstrated the latest functionalities in the PolyWorks Inspector, PolyWorks Modeler and Dataloop during IMTEX 2022. Three significant developments were highlighted in PolyWorks Inspector. The first development helps customers measure faster in environments where they do not have a 3D CAD model. This is a significant advancement because the entire manufacturing industry is rapidly adopting 3D CAD models for the inspection process. However, many companies still do not have a 3D CAD model for every component. There is a possibility that the CAD model is not ready, or that it does not arrive at the inspection job on time, or that it is simply not present. So, in those cases, they have new developments that enable their customers to perform robust multi-piece measurements using a non-CAD process.

For the 2nd development, they have expanded the functionality of the CNC CMM. For eg, if a company uses a fixed bed CMM, Renishaw multi-axis probe PH20, which is rapidly catching up in the industry due to its flexibility, they have made their software capable of working with that probehead as well. They also program the machine much faster and easier than people are used to. What used to take hours can now take seconds or minutes. That’s another development. The 3rd significant advancement Polyworks demonstrated is augmented reality. They are using Microsoft HoloLens goggles, with which the PolyWorks inspector can guide the operator on what needs to be measured. It visually shows the essential part, which features need to be measured, and how to approach that feature. Once the measurement is complete, it will overlay the inspection result directly on the part itself, allowing customers to begin reaping the benefits of mixed reality tools. The Company believes that augmented reality or mixed reality is still in its early stages. But that it will catch up, and in the coming years, all technology will upgrade and evolve. And, sooner or later, Polyworks will see that their operators and colleagues on the shop floor would like to use these tools because they greatly simplify the process. The good news is that Polyworks already have the tools, but it will take some time to adapt to their functioning. So these are three significant developments.

They also demonstrated their data management solution, which allows customers to collect all inspection data, store it on a central server, share it quickly, and search for what they want. Of course, one can perform analytics, root cause analysis, and trend chart analysis too.

Features that make the product so unique 

The primary distinguishing feature that is always emphasized is – innovation. To begin with, Polyworks has always been ahead of the market regarding the innovation curve. In the last 25 years, they have been known to be the first to develop many things that many of their business associates and competitors all over the industry have adapted to. Polyworks takes pride in its innovation. This innovation results from the Company listening to their customers, their requests, and their ideas. Polyworks has created an important vision for where we want to take our technology. That is what distinguishes them. The second feature that distinguishes the Company is – they are the most powerful third party independent software platform. As a result, their customers can take advantage of literally any hardware device. Almost every hardware manufacturer in the world develops its software. However, as independent third-party software, PolyWorks is hardware agnostic. As a result, their customers can select either A, B, or C types or brands. Because the software platform is the same, any operator can use any machine. All reports follow the same format. Collaborative measurements are possible, the learning curve is short, and technical support is straightforward. So it is these two components, innovation and universality, that distinguish PolyWorks.

Innovations and developments at Polyworks

Polyworks highlights four main developments and will continue to develop these features. They are developing technologies that can handle a large number of pieces. PolyWorks is already known for its ability to manage extensive CAD and data sets, but they are strengthening it even further. Polyworks is also developing archiving and backup technology, allowing our customers to accurately measure millions of components in 3D. So the main differentiator is that they do everything in 3D. And this enables customers to benefit from the return on investment they receive.

Manufacturing abiding digital manufacturing 

Digital Transformation is a buzzword today, but it is a reality we cannot avoid. Most of these technologies, such as augmented reality, the cloud, and industry 4.0, are here to stay. It’s not just flashy technology. It is an evolution that the industry has been anticipating to justify all of the investments in computers and CAD software and the 3D offers they made 25 years ago. For the past 25 years, the Innovmetric group has been investing in 3D systems, primarily 3D software, because they know that the future is more based on a 3D engine that goes to cloud computing. As a result, I believe we must all prepare as an organisation. But there’s something crucial here. The Roadmap must be modular; One cannot wake up one fine morning and declare that they are a digital company; they must be strategic, modular, and gradually transform. That is what Innovmetric have now specialised in. We can now go to companies and say, “We know you want to do this over the next four years. Let’s take one step at a time.” And this is the strategy, and we need to confront it, and I believe that Modularity is the key to successful transformation.

Innovations and developments are happening around the globe. 

“Image projection, I believe, is one of the fastest-growing areas of augmented reality. And I think that cloud computing is on the rise. People want to store most of their data in the cloud, have analytics, and have centralised access to everything. Facebook is more than just an app; the data is not on your computer or mobile phone. It’s all on a server but you can access it whenever and wherever you want with a minimal learning curve. So, I believe those are the future requirements, and everyone will follow suit. Everyone is doing it all over the world, either way, sooner or later.”