HN-6060 True multi-sensor 3D metrology system sets new standards for non-contact inspection of complex shapes

“The HN-6060 multi-sensor system fits well in the Nikon Metrology portfolio of 2D and 3D solutions.” comments Kenji Yoshikawa, CEO of Nikon Metrology, “It addresses the market need for fast, high accuracy 3D inspection of complex shapes by combining innovative non-contact optical technology with highest precision measurement hardware.”

The HN-6060 captures high-density 3D point clouds from part surfaces with high speed and precision. The newly designed laser scanning sensor extracts the surface form and waviness data in one scan, whereas previous tactile gear inspection tools needed to rely on 2D sections of data. This new advancement creates better inspection possibilities, as the 3D surface data reveals all shape and waviness information in one simple measurement.

“What the HN-6060 provides is a much easier, quicker and more precise method of 3D data capture than metrology systems have demonstrated before,” says Jos Jans, Executive VP Marketing for Nikon Metrology. “The demand for high-accuracy 3D surface metrology systems continues to increase as products in the automotive, aeronautics and home appliances industries also implement higher precision.”

For the HN-6060, Nikon combined leading-edge optical and hardware control technology, developing a laser scanner system that acquires point clouds a rate of 120,000 points per second with an accuracy of 5µm. Jos Jans adds: “In specific gear measurement benchmarks we have already achieved less than 1 micron repeatability with non-contact measurement,  which  is comparable with the performance of contact type CMMs”.

The metrology system’s laser scanner and SFF (shape from focus) sensor use active texture projection to perform high-precision measurement of shapes even with glossy surfaces or with no surface texture. Touch probes and optical heads with built-in TTL laser AF complete the multi-sensor system. The system’s use of multi-sensors allows it to perform diverse shape measurements of parts such as complex automotive and machined components, molded parts, and medical devices.

Another core element of the HN-6060 is its five axes synchronized hardware control. This allows optimum part orientation to the sensor and can measure the part from different angles. The system is not only designed to measure complex shaped gear teeth surfaces such as hypoid gears, worm gears and helical gears, but also inspects turbine blades, digital camera housings, complex closures and more.

In addition, the extreme stiffness of the HN-6060’s CMM body combined a high-rigidity air-bearing structure and newly designed low thermal expansion encoder scales on the 3 axes guarantees high-precision inspection over a long period of time.

The HN-6060 software seamlessly integrates with the measurement hardware and is designed for user operability and safety. It features macro-based teach in, simulation for collision avoidance, easy acquisition of point clouds from 2D and 3D shapes, and insightful part-to-CAD comparison.