TPT July 2015

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52 July 2015
Technology News
2015_05 TPT Schwarze-Robitec Ad Issue July 87x260.indd 1 27.04.2015 17:43:46
TubeShaper
software launches
THOUSANDS of Hexagon Metrology’s portable measuring
arms (also known as ‘portable coordinate measurement
machines’) are utilised every year in industrial applications
that range from high-accuracy inspection of turbine blades to
the laser scanning of Olympic athletes.
However, what is not widely known is that this versatile
technology actually has its roots in tube production, back in
the 1970s.
The first articulated measurement arm was constructed
for the measurement of complex tube geometries by Homer
Eaton of the Eaton Leonard Corporation in 1974. While it used
a computer that weighed more than 20kg – more than twice
the weight of a modern Romer Absolute Arm – it provided the
basic measurement concepts that are still in use today.
“No-one could have imagined how the use of portable
measurement arms has changed over the last 40 years,” said
Stephan Amann, global business development manager for
HexagonMetrology, which today produces theRomerAbsolute
Arm in its two original factories in the USA and France.
“Originally the arm was developed for tube measurement
only, and today it’s used in industries ranging from aerospace
to dentistry. Portable computers, smaller electronics, 3D
laser scanning and better accuracy have led to this change
in our business over the last three decades, but now we’re
going back to our roots with a totally new product.”
This product is the Romer Absolute Arm Tube Measure-
ment solution, using TubeShaper – Hexagon Metrology’s
new software for tube and pipe measurement.
“Our last step in this market was back in 2005; that’s
a lifetime ago in the software world. Since then, we’ve
maintained our product range, but some new thinking was
long overdue. The tube measurement market has changed
radically in the last ten years, and the competition is stiffer
than ever before, so we’re really proud of what we’ve done
with TubeShaper. We feel that it’s the result of four decades’
experience in not only the tube sector, but in our other
business areas too.”
Hexagon Metrology – Switzerland
Website: