Capturing Point Clouds Directly on the Production Line

The ZEISS AIMax cloud is designed to capture 3D point clouds directly at the production line and measure complex features with high precision in a fraction of a second. (Image courtesy of ZEISS.)

Whether it’s coordinate measuring machines specifically designed for the shop floor, the rise of laser scanners and laser trackers or the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), everything seems to be pushing industrial metrology and quality assurance out of the lab and into the factory.

The latest example of this trend is the ZEISS AIMax cloud optical 3D sensor. It is capable of generating 3D point clouds directly from the production line, measuring features in fractions of a second. The AIMax is designed specifically for robot-based 3D in-line metrology, such as in sheet metal processing and car body construction.

Its short measuring times make the AIMax well-suited to inspections with short cycle times, such as assembly and welding processes, gap-and-flush measurements in body shell construction and final assembly inspection in the automotive industry.

According to ZEISS, optimized projection technology and high 3D resolution enable fast, exact measurements, even of tiny features on both sheet metal and paint.

The company also states that feature extraction in the point cloud offers increased robustness, faster setup times and greater ease of use compared to traditional image processing. The compact sensor design permits the measurement even of hard-to-reach features, a common application for robot-guided usage in in-line metrology.

"By capturing dense point clouds, the ZEISS AIMax cloud offers the possibility of measuring multiple features, such as hem edges, rivets, surfaces points and T pins, with just a single capture,” said Michael Scheffler, business development manager in the ZEISS Industrial Metrology business group. “The measurement setup is fast and intuitive, and the result is visualized immediately after the measurement in the 3D point cloud.”

For more information, visit the ZEISS website.