Presentation
NX MBD and DIPS: Digital Inspection Planning Strategies
Measurement processes can add a significant amount of manufacturing process time, and there are a number of opportunities to make process improvements, particularly in inspection planning. Automatic inspection programming from Model-Based Definition (MBD) represents an attractive prospect for process improvement.
MBD provides a traceable method of transferring machine readable product requirements throughout an organisation. Geometry, feature characteristics, feature IDs, nominals, and tolerances are defined during design. Inspection software can read the characteristics from MBD, and measurement equipment can be modelled. Probing strategies can be assigned to features based on their characteristics. In reality, interoperability issues arise from having different machines, sensors, and execution software within an organisation. Adapting inspection needs to accommodate different stages of production is also challenging.
Standardisation and optimisation of inspection strategies from MBD, over a diverse range of complex products, using a myriad of metrology systems, requires an intimate understanding of downstream consumption that is inaccessible to most designers. The use of an inspection planning model to feed an execution software based programming template is presented as a potential solution to bridge this gap.
This presentation is a joint effort between Rolls-Royce UK and the Manufacturing Technology Centre. A range of techniques are proposed using NX for the production of inspection planning models. How these models integrate with the inspection programming software: NX CMM, is also discussed. The goal is to ultimately reduce programming effort, creating adaptable automated programs that can be post-processed to various CMM execution software, while maintaining traceability to the authority MBD.
Co-Authors:
- Toby Maw, The Manufacturing Technology Centre, Coventry UK
- Simon Todd, Rotatives, Rolls-Royce, Washington UK
Presenter
Toby Maw
Senior Research Engineer
Manufacturing Technology Centre
Toby Maw is a Senior Research Engineer in Metrology & NDT and Core Research Programme Coordinator in digital engineering at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). His research background stemmed from a PhD in experimental physics from Loughborough University in the field of the characterisation of novel materials. He has over 7 years metrology experience having worked at Nikon Metrology for 3 years in the coordinate measurement machine software development team before joining the MTC, where he now leads the Computer Aided Inspection and Quality research area. Toby has managed and technically led projects across multiple sectors, specialising in the area of digital measurement integration.
3D Collaboration & Interoperability Congress
The 3D Collaboration & Interoperability Congress (3D CIC) focuses on 3D CAD collaboration and interoperability for the entire product lifecycle. The 2018 theme of Enterprise Accountability will bring together real users to share experiences and learn about the topics of Culture & Champions, Quality, and Manufacturing. 3D CIC 2018 will be held October 15-18, 2018 at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, Colorado. Find out more and register at 3dcic.com.
