New high speed imaging CMM system aids car production

Abstract

Purpose – To describe a new vision‐based co‐ordinate measuring machine (CMM) developed in France by ActiCM, which has undergone successful trials with car maker Renault.Design/methodology/approach – The vision‐based CMM uses intelligent vision devices (IVDs) which are mounted on a robot arm. Each IVD has two high‐definition CCD cameras, a visible LED illumination source and a white light projector. Up to eight sensors can work simultaneously on the same part which the IVDs' cameras can image from two different and known positions. These two views are then geometrically manipulated by the device software using photogrammetry to extract 3D data.Findings – Trials at a Renault car production plant have shown that the system can validate a car's body shape in significantly less time than is possible with conventional CMMs. The time for a 2,000‐element validation has been reduced from around 10 to 2 h, with a dimensional accuracy of 300 μm.Originality/value – This illustrates that vision‐based CMMs are able to ...