InnovMetric, the independent software development company that empowers manufacturers of every size to digitally transform their 3D measurement processes, today launched PolyWorks 2022, the latest release of its smart 3D metrology digital ecosystem. PolyWorks 2022 offers new key functionalities that significantly expand the capabilities of its three ecosystem foundations:

• The universal 3D metrology platform now facilitates multipiece inspection when CAD data is not available as well as introduces a universal data hub

• Digital connectivity between data and people is improved by enabling the deployment of global metadata management strategies and the programming of alerts that automatically detect failing dimensions and notify the right people in real time

• The collaboration between probing operators and their measurement hardware is raised to a new level by mixed reality display technology that enhances the operators’ perception of 3D metrology  

PolyWorks 2022 also demonstrates InnovMetric’s commitment towards open solutions by releasing an API to query data from its data management solution and inject it into third-party software applications.

“For decades, the main mission of manufacturers of 3D hardware and software, including ourselves, was to deliver state-of-the-art technologies to create data from 3D measurements. This strategy proved to be highly successful for market players and fueled a major growth of the use of 3D measurement technologies in manufacturing organizations. However, as the amount of 3D measurement data grew exponentially, new data management complexities also emerged, which lead us to reconsider our company’s mission. That’s why today, PolyWorks goes beyond data creation by managing data storage, opening access to data enterprisewide, and enabling digital data flows between hardware, software, and people,” said Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric. He added, “Providing an API for our data management solution is a key step in our digital ecosystem evolution. The data we manage is not ours, it belongs to our customers. For this reason, we had to provide a digital technology to allow customers to seamlessly feed PolyWorks data to any software application they wish to use.”

Universal platform extensions

Manufacturing organizations often need to measure and inspect multiple pieces even though they do not have access to a reliable 3D CAD representation of those pieces. For example, in the early stages of a product engineering cycle or after having physically adjusted the design on the shop floor. To address these measurement scenarios, the PolyWorks universal platform offers a new feature measurement guide technology to guide probing, scanning, and feature extraction when measuring and inspecting multiple pieces in the absence of CAD data and nominal feature components. Users can inject a CAD model and nominal feature components at any point later in the process and propagate these changes to already-measured pieces.

The PolyWorks universal platform also features a new universal data hub that brings all relevant data under one roof:

• Inspection projects can be created automatically from third-party software measurement results and shared digitally enterprisewide
   
• Native CAD and QIF MBD file readers import all GD&T control types to ensure digital interoperability with the product definition processes
   
• Users can also use a more accurate device to measure a dimensional control and inject the measured value within a scanned or probed object for reporting purposes

Improved digital connectivity for consumers of 3D measurement data

In a 3D metrology context, metadata consists of important attributes describing the part design, piece fabrication, and 3D measurement processes. PolyWorks 2022 ensures metadata is meaningful and usable by managing shared properties common to multiple inspection projects and piece templates. Unified and synchronized shared properties empower searches, filtering, and analysis across the broad centralized 3D metrology data archive.

PolyWorks 2022 also enables production teams to program alerts that monitor incoming measurements and notify the right people by e-mail when a dimension is out of tolerance or out of control. Notifications enable real-time reactivity as they include a hyperlink that instantaneously opens the problematic piece within a Web-based 3D viewer. From there, users can quickly assemble an investigation team using the PolyWorks modern digital communication technologies.

More efficient probing workflows through mixed reality display

Mixed-reality display technology enhances the perception of 3D metrology by superimposing holograms on inspected pieces and offering an instinctual gesture-based user interface. The PolyWorks 2022 mixed-reality solution provides new visual guidance and feedback capabilities that optimize the efficiency of probing operators. In addition to overlaying guidance geometry and measurement instructions on the inspected piece, it also displays probed points, measurement results, and the digital readout in real time, and allows users to invoke common probing functionalities remotely.

Open solution

Manufacturing organizations need open solutions to interconnect their multiple enterprise solutions digitally and optimize their efficiency. InnovMetric is proud to announce the availability of an API for its data management solution. Based on the OData open protocol, the PolyWorks 2022 secure REST API allows third-party software applications to access the hierarchy of workspaces, projects, and pieces, and the measurement objects and controls of individual pieces. The PolyWorks REST API is compatible with data analysis solutions, such as Tableau, PowerBI, and Excel, and allows users to inject parametric URLs referring to measured pieces into other enterprise solutions, such as PLM, ERP, or MES solutions, and to transfer information to other digital systems using programming languages, such as Python and C#.

PolyWorks 2022 is available now, worldwide, through InnovMetric’s PolyWorks reseller network. For more information, attend a PolyWorks Conference Live event near you.