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Swivel device enables multifunctional profile measurement
The CALIPRI profile meas-
urement device developed by
NextSense GmbH, Austria, uses
three laser lines to scan profiles,
allowing the device to swivel
and measure from different per-
spectives. Due to the swiveling
capability, the device can be
used to analyze the folded edges
of sheet-metal body parts that
form gaps. Traditional methods
record gaps from only a few per-
spectives and must calculate
missing data by mathematical
approximation methods, and
due to the missing perspectives, they cannot analyze folded edges at all.
In premium-class vehicle construction, less gap clearance translates to reduced road
noise and improved appearance. However, with “invisible” gaps and more hidden and more
complex gap contours, measurement requirements are more stringent. The swiveling de-
vice makes it possible to spatially scan complex gaps. Regardless of whether it is handheld
or installed on a robot arm, the tool can be moved freely over the component and combines
segments recorded by the laser into a complete profile.
Measurement results are free from mathematical extrapolations and within a few sec-
onds, the system reportedly delivers greater accuracy than alternative methods. A crucial el-
ement of the tool’s flexibility is its patented tilt correction, which automatically compensates
for any tilts and twists of the measurement sensor. Because of this feature, the device can be
moved freely over any gap and fold contour throughout the production process.
For more in-
formation: Christoph Böhm, +43/(0)316/232400,
office@nextsense.at,
www.nextsense.at.
2014 Image Contest now underway
FEI’s (Hillsboro, Ore.) 2014 Image Contest began February 3. Categories include:
The Natural World, The Human Body, and Around the House. All FEI instrument owners
are invited to submit their best images through the end of the year, and some of them will
be included in the free National Geographic iPad app called
Mysteries of the Unseen World.
FEI’s 2013 Image Contest
winner is Marcos Rosado of
the Electron Microscopy Di-
vision of the Catalan Institute
of Nanoscience and Nan-
otechnology (ICN2), Spain,
for his “Acacia Dealbata
Flower” image shown here.
www.fei.com/image-contest.This SEM image shows an
Acacia dealbata (yellow
mimosa) flower, 4.5 mm across,
about to open. The flower was
removed from the tree and put
into the microscope in a fresh
state and the image was taken
as soon as possible to avoid
structural damage. False color
was added to the gray scale
image.
briefs
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments
Inc.
(SSI) opened its new
Shimadzu Solution Center
in
Columbia, Md. The 4100-sq-ft
facility will enable the company to
quickly respond to needs for new
scientific instruments, software
platforms, and applications. The
center showcases more than 30
scientific instruments highlighting
SSI’s full range of products,
including molecular/atomic
spectrophotometers, mass
spectrometers, liquid/gas
chromatographs, x-ray
spectrometers, balances, TOC
analyzers, and materials testers.
www.ssi.shimadzu.com.
Lake Shore Cryotronics Inc.,
Columbus, Ohio, announced that
the
Air Force
intends to award the
company a $750,000 Phase II
Small Business Technology
Transfer (STTR) grant. In early
2013, the Air Force awarded Lake
Shore a Phase I grant to assist with
development of a system
prototype. This latest funding
supports further application
development for the 8500 Series
THz system for materials
characterization with the main
development work performed on
the prototype system installed at
Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Lake Shore will work with
researchers at the
University of
Arizona
to develop techniques to
improve the integrity of the THz
signal.
www.lakeshore.com.
Lake Shore’s
8500 Series
THz system.
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES •
MARCH 2014
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Patented tilt correction leads to reproducible results when
evaluating folded edges.