PROVIDENCE, RI - As dimensional metrology systems increase in accuracy and sophistication, they are more capable than ever of helping to improve quality and cut costs in production environments. Once there, however, they must often be run by operators who are not experienced in dimensional metrology procedures and are also doing a multitude of other tasks. That gap, says Mahr Federal's Pat Nugent, must be bridged by the operating software of the systems themselves. Case in point: Mahr's newest EasyForm® Version 3.0 software for their MMQ Formtester line.
"Ease of use in software has become a key differentiator of advanced measuring systems," said Nugent, who is Vice President Metrology Systems for Mahr's US operation, Mahr Federal. "The easier the software is to operate and the more it can do, the more value these systems can bring to a production operation. When sophisticated measurements like cylindricity, roundness, and perpendicularity can be performed by machine operators right in production areas, they can save time, minimize scrap, and significantly reduce production costs."
Designed by experts in human factors engineering, Mahr's EasyForm 3.0 is built to do that and more. Available as standard on all new MMQ 100 and 200 Formtesters, and as an upgrade for a variety of older systems, EasyForm 3.0 provides an intuitive touchscreen interface that guides operators through measurement setup and operation. A teach-in mode remembers every step taken and can easily combine steps to perform repetitive multi-feature measurements, virtually automatically. For example, a roundness measurement can be taken with just two steps.
Measurement results are immediately displayed on the screen, including 3D representation with color or grid lines providing an interactive graphic preview. Results can be printed, saved in file formats such as PDF, or exported for analysis in ASCII or optionally in QS-Stat formats. New to EasyForm 3.0 is the ability to interactively exclude certain trace data after measuring or analyzing part features. This allows inadvertent data from dirt, or from recurring features such as splines or grooves, to be removed from consideration without re-measurement.
Also new in EasyForm 3.0 are a number of options for output formatting to enhance the usability of the results for different users. To support applications on more sophisticated CNC systems as well as basic manual systems, new abilities to separate positioning movement of the probe or measuring device from evaluation have been added. This facilitates changing or repositioning parts or probes during measurement. Part alignment has also been optimized with a new ultra quiet display that provides variable sensitivity, red/green signals, and numerical value for computer assisted centering and tilting when used on manually operated systems.
For manufacturers of high precision parts interested in harmonic analysis, EasyForm 3.0 offers a variety of analysis methods including basic Fourier analyses, input of multiple bands, and generation of tolerance curves for the histogram.
"Throughout the development process we've tried to facilitate the way people intuitively use this software," said Nugent. "Sometimes this affects big things and other times it is the many small things that you never think about when you use software. For example, EasyForm has, of course, always had a "start" button to initiate all commands. But when the human factors people pointed out that users' eyes are conditioned to travel from left to right across a page and from top to bottom, we moved the start button to the lower right on the data entry screen and made it larger. That way, it is not only more visually obvious, but users won't feel they are going "back" to start. Now, the user simply scans the information presented on the screen and only changes something like a tolerance if necessary before pressing the start button. Details like that are important to user comfort, and user comfort in using a piece of highly sophisticated hardware ultimately contributes to quality."
Mahr Federal Inc., a member of the Mahr Group, is known worldwide for its expertise in providing dimensional measurement solutions. The ISO 9001:2000-certified company is headquartered in Providence, RI, and manufactures and markets a wide variety of dimensional metrology products. Mahr Federal's calibration system is accredited to ISO 17025 NVLAP Lab Code 200605-0.
For additional information, contact:
Marketing
Mahr Federal Inc.
1144 Eddy Street
Providence RI 02905 USA
Tel: (800) 333-4243 or (401) 784-3100
Fax: (401) 784-3246
Email: information@mahr.com
Web site: http://www.mahr.com