The Coming-Of-Age Of The Portable CMM

It is not surprising that the portable CMM can be found in most factories where measurements are taken.  There are two main types of portable CMM; the portable arm and the laser tracker. 

By far the most popular is the portable arm being manufactured by Romer in California.  This lightweight mechanical device is highly portable, completely reliable, and mechanically simple to use.  Most arms, are available in a range of 8 foot to 12 foot and can run most powerful software products, including PC-DMIS. 

The beauty of the portable coordinate measuring machine is its affordable price.  Generally ranging from $25,000 to $60,000, these  portable world measuring machines can be fully-equipped with a variety of probing and tooling options.  For instance, Romer Manufacturers innovative products, such as Gridlock,   allow the operator to relocate the Portable CMM anywhere in the part measuring volume, irrespective of how large the part is.  This eliminates the severe loss of accuracy encountered when portable coordinate measuring machine products are constantly moved to measure large components.

The new kid on the block in the area of the portable CMM is the laser tracker.  This device allows total freedom of measurement without having to move a mechanical entity.  The leader in the field is Leica from Switzerland. Leica first provided the US aerospace industry with its first tracker in 1991. In those days, it was used for positioning and assembly.  Now with the advent of sophisticated software products such as PC-DMIS the unit now is becoming more of a PCMM or portable coordinate measuring machine.  PC-DMIS allows the tracker to read in CAD files and perform a part to CAD comparison quickly and easily. 

Total reverse engineering can also be accomplished by PC-DMIS, simply measuring the component and automatically constructing an IGES file.  However, what really makes the Leica tracker a true portable CMM is the revolutionary T-Probe which completely emulates the probing system on a stationary CMM.  In fact, it completely renders obsolete all the tooling necessary with a conventional tracker.  The benefits to the user are enhanced accuracy and more reliable results plus throughput increase of three to five times faster than conventional systems.

Certainly the measuring world has been changed.  Now we can take the measuring device to the job irrespective of where the job is; be it in an air-conditioned room or on the factory floor or at the customer's site, portable cmm devices are here to stay. Know your options and get the best solution to your measuring needs, visit http://www.cmmxyz.com/.