TPT January 2009

S oftware for D esign, P roduction & M anagement

Cutting-edge software feature facilitates lasers for tube measuring

Non-contact tube measurement has been integral to the international tube market for around 35 years, with the non-contact fork setting a high standard for tube measurement. Since then infrared and laser beams have also been introduced and combined in many similar procedures for generating points in crosslines to calculate tube data. Laser technology has also been utilized effectively in the CAD world, with use of geometric parts and processing through software that takes millions of points to generate surfaces. Tubes treated as geometric parts are created out of 2 half shells or as linked up cylinders and bends in some construction software, to be recreated and reassembled to display the design of the scanned object on the screen. However, this technique has had its drawbacks as tubing needs a completely different algorithm, and no tube data is present in these results. TeZetCAD was created as specialised tube software that generates tube xyz data during the scanning of a tube. It converts it into bending data in the same process. The scanning procedure for long tubes with lots of bends, or small tubes with small CADFind Sketch and Search can identify 2D and 3D engineering drawings from a sketch and 3D CAD solid modelling environments. It has now been released in a version that allows users to build custom applications to meet specific business and engineering requirements. The CADFind retrieval process is very simple and enables a company’s wealth of past designs, including those only held in 2D formats, to be checked as a designer creates or modifies parts in a 3D CAD system. The software allows the user to search, retrieve and use geometrically similar parts from a database, based on a customer drawing, simple sketch and 3D models. “I have used various versions of CADFind over the last three years,” says CAD designer Mr Tom Tanner. “I’ve found it to

diameters, has always been very time consuming. For this purpose, Tezet introduced the cutting-edge LaserLine feature in the TeZetCAD software, which allows the laser to do its work as a facilitator in tube measuring. A synthesis between the current laser technology and the traditional non- contact fork evaluation – combined with TeZetCAD – is a highly effective new mode of operation in tube measurement. The technology is extraordinarily quick, with one laser line at the A-End and only two laserline measurements on one cylinder. Of these two laserline measurements, there is only one at the beginning of the straight and one at the end of the straight, continuously repeated on each straight until the B-end. This is known from the non-contact fork ‘tak, tak’ method – with real time xyz and bending data output. TeZetCAD claims to produce the only software that provides this LaserLine feature, which works with Faro V3 features and the MicroScribe with MicroScan. These miniaturised measurement systems offer high performance technology. For instance, a 3D Linelaser is available with 2 workspaces – one for smaller tubes be a great time-saving tool for doing my design and drafting work as it’s easy to use and its automation means there is not much technical input required from me.” The most innovative element of the new programme is the facility to incorporate CADFind’s unique searching and database capabilities into customized stand-alone or web applications. The new application programming interface (API) is unique to CADFind and is claimed to be unavailable in any other standard commercial package. An example of the use of this API technology can be seen in a research website developed with Aston University to explore the way designers use graphical search systems. The website – http:// camac.aston.ac.uk – allows users to search an online database using a CAD sketch or 3D model.

and one for larger diameters (eg the MicroScribe measuring device with the MicroScan-3DLinelaser). TeZet Technik AG – Switzerland Fax : +41 56 2492878 Email : tezet_leistritz@compuserve.com Website : www.tezet.com  Tezet’s brand new calculation algorithm enables lasers to measure according to the ‘tak, tak, tak’ method This collaboration will help Applied Search Technology Ltd continue to create innovative products that reflect the market requirements as closely as possible. “We are currently working on several different formats of the software that can be used by designers in many different industries,” says Dr Doug Love, research director of the company behind CADFind applied search technology. “We want to bring in modifications such as ‘cleaning-up’ tools, better integration with CAD software and different ways of uploading parts – all to make the process of part retrieval easy and less time-consuming for the designer.” A workable demonstration program of CADFind is available to download. Applied Search Technology Ltd – UK Fax : +44 121 260 6003 Email : sales@astltd.com Website : www.sketchandsearch.com

Simple and effective design retrieval for engineering applications

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J anuary 2009

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