Leading Metrology and 3D Inspection Software Delivers Leading-Edge GD&T and Comprehensive Probing Functions

FRANKFURT, Germany – November 27, 2012 – Geomagic®, a global company providing 3D technology for digital reality, today announced the 2013 release of its leading 3D metrology and inspection software, Geomagic Qualify® and Geomagic Qualify® Probe at the EuroMold 2012 exhibition (Hall 11. C132, November 27 - 30, 2012).

The 2013 versions build upon Geomagic’s robust inspection capabilities, delivering improved automation, GD&T, and hard-probing functions. The combined new features will make it even easier to quickly measure and verify manufactured part size and perform automated inspection and measurement in quality checking and assurance processes. 

Geomagic Qualify is the industry’s most comprehensive, robust and accurate 3D metrology solution and automation platform for use with both probe and scan data. Geomagic Qualify Probe, on the other hand, makes Geomagic Qualify’s wide toolset available in a simpler, probing-only measuring environment. Innovative, flexible and extraordinarily customizable, the Geomagic Qualify products deliver reliable and innovative solutions that save customers time and help them consistently manufacture top-quality products. 

“Today’s manufacturing environment demands not only the best metrology toolsets, but it also needs to be automated and customized for some very complex processes,” said John Alpine, vice president of engineering, Geomagic. “Geomagic Qualify 2013 delivers a comprehensive set of tools for advanced Python scripting which allow customers to create inspection workflows that meet their specific needs – and save time This release delivers a really full set of probing and reference data creation tools, plus CAD-free workflows that will continue to meet their evolving needs.”

Improved Feature tools and advanced GD&T functionality

The Geomagic Qualify products have been enhanced to deliver more intuitive interactivity between the engineer and the software, especially in the QuickFeature and QuickProbe toolsets.

Features (i.e., reference data) form the core functionality of any measurement system, and significant advances have been made in this area to enhance the workflows for engineers. The new QuickFeature enhancements include CAD-less feature creation and fast, intuitive creation of features using the new pre-selection highlight. The QuickProbe functions now include better-probed feature editing with relative measurements; improved fitting statistic readout for each probed point, with the ability to exclude and automatically refit; and audio feedback when probing, which indicates real-time out-of-tolerance conditions without the engineer having to watch the monitor.

Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerance (GD&T) enhancements have resulted from the improved feature editing and include a definition of nominal geometry without a CAD model; improved prompts to probe test data to satisfy callouts in walkthrough mode, and a more detailed Measure Features command that delivers measured and nominal features plus deviations.

Enhanced annotation tools provide better appearance, content, and customizability of annotations.

Expanded automation platform and command line-driven applications

Automation and custom development, especially of complex and massive metrology workflows, is becoming more important to many customers. Python scripting tools were initially released in the Geomagic Qualify 2012 platforms, and they have been enhanced significantly in the Geomagic 2013 releases. Inspection functionalities, including constrained alignments, CAD model access, reporting, and more, are now available in the platform toolset. These tools enable rapid creation of custom functionality and automation of previously labor-intensive processes.

In addition, a major new feature of Geomagic Qualify 2013 is the access to a version of the software that enables command line-driven versions of the applications, execution of macros, and scripts to be run without using the additional computing resources required by a GUI.

“The automation platform in Geomagic Qualify enables us to quickly automate any inspection process, no matter how complex, with industry-standard Python scripting,” said Bill Greene, CEO, Level 3 Inspection, expert practitioners in automated 3D scanning and computer aided inspection technologies. “Geomagic Qualify gives us massive power for the manufacturers wanting to dramatically improve productivity through highly automated Computer-Aided Inspection (CAI) while saving time to market and improving product quality.”

Improved alignment controls with QuickAlign™

The new alignment commands work with and without a probing device and enable quick alignment of the 3D data through matching features or geometry. Now engineers can align with just a few clicks, and these tools are flexible enough to handle simple 3-2-1 or more complex feature-driven alignments. In addition, N-point alignment allows for dissimilar objects to be aligned using point pairs.

Additional improvements in the Geomagic Qualify interface include a new Connect button to initialize digitizers and keep them connected. Geomagic Qualify 2013 also boasts a 20% faster start-up time and improved handling of compensation vectors is now available in the probing functions.

Availability

Geomagic Qualify 2013 and Geomagic Qualify Probe 2013 will begin shipping to new customers and will be available for maintenance customers to download at the end of January 2013. After its release in January 2013, free trials of Geomagic Qualify will be available at www.geomagic.com. 

Geomagic Qualify is also available as part of Geomagic’s Enterprise Bundle, which also includes Geomagic Studio® and Geomagic Spark. The Enterprise Bundle offers significant savings for those who require 3D scan-to-CAD capabilities, advanced point and polygon processing, and cutting-edge metrology applications. 

Visit www.geomagic.com for more information, demo videos, case studies and free trials.

 

About Geomagic

Geomagic (www.geomagic.com) is a global company dedicated to advancing and applying 3D technology for the benefit of humanity. Geomagic’s scanning and design software solutions are used to capture and model 3D content from physical objects, organically sculpt complex shapes, and prepare products for manufacturing. In addition, the company produces powerful 3D metrology and inspection software that verifies dimensional quality by comparing as-built products to master designs. Geomagic’s Sensable Phantom haptic devices simulate the sense of touch in a digital environment. 

Geomagic’s software and hardware are utilized by world-class customers in a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, medical, consumer products, toys, collectibles, coin design, jewelry, fine art, heritage restoration, research, education, mold making, entertainment, training and surgical simulation. In fact, some of the world’s leading companies and research organizations use Geomagic software, including Ford, BMW, Boeing, Harley DavidsonTimberland, Mattel/Fisher Price, Lego, Pratt & WhitneyNASA, Schneider Electronic, 3M, Danaher, and Invisalign. Geomagic is based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA, with an office in Boston, subsidiaries in Europe and Asia, and channel partners worldwide.

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Geomagic, Geomagic Studio, Geomagic Qualify, Geomagic Qualify Probe, Geomagic Spark, Wrap, Geomagic Wrap, Phantom, OpenHaptics, Omni, Freeform, Claytools, Sensable and Sensable Technologies, Inc. are trademarks or registered trademarks of Geomagic Inc.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.