InnovMetric
InnovMetric announces digital thread partners.
InnovMetric announces its new PolyWorks Digital Thread partnership program. Developed in collaboration with software companies that develop and commercialise solutions for use in engineering, manufacturing, and quality settings, the new program hopes to speed up the digitalisation of manufacturing processes. This is achievable through the creation of an interconnected network that enables dimensional inspection data interoperability from a single source of trust, with digital data flowing between software applications. InnovMetric’s first digital thread business partners are High QA, AutoForm, and Duwe-3d.
To ensure that data flows from one software to another, manufacturing organisations must rely on solutions from multiple vendors for the digitalisation of manufacturing processes. Typical file-based data exchanges used within the dimensional management process between engineering, manufacturing, and quality present significant data-flow issues. By adopting the PolyWorks digital thread, partners can digitally interconnect their software solutions to the PolyWorks universal metrology software platform and centralised data management server. This enables the automation of data flows that deliver dimensional inspection inputs to quality, while also leveraging digital twin instances and 3D measurement data outputs across the enterprise.
“Our existing PolyWorks connectors cover a wide array of applications and processes, and we plan to add more connectors in the future. However, the use of 3D measurement data is expanding, and the number of applications that could benefit from it is rising as well. So, we think that the task is too big to solely rest on our shoulders. This is why we have decided to partner with software companies to allow them to develop and commercialise digital connectors that exchange 3D measurement information between PolyWorks and their own solutions,” said Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric. “It was natural for us to take this decision, as we had already determined that PolyWorks would be an open solution.”
About High QA
High QA specialises in integrated manufacturing quality management software solutions that can be used by any sized company in all major manufacturing industries. The company’s software optimises and automates the quality assurance process with automated data extraction and contextualisation, creating a clear, traceable, and consistent bill of characteristics (BoC).
The company’s first PolyWorks digital thread connector utilises its HQA Connect software, allowing quality assurance and manufacturing specialists to automatically balloon 2D drawings using optical character recognition (OCR). Metrologists can then automatically synchronise dimensional requirements from these ballooned drawings to PolyWorks|Inspector. Inspection projects can be created in record time, reducing drawing interpretation errors while ensuring data integrity.
Further extensions to interconnection between HQA Connect and PolyWorks are expected. High QA plans to do this by streaming inspection results from the PolyWorks|DataLoop centralised 3D measurement server to automatically populate quality assurance reports, including FAIs and PPAPs, within its 360 Core reporting and analysis software solution.
Sam Golan, Founder and CEO of High QA, added, “Together with InnovMetric, we’re weaving a digital thread that connects your quality and manufacturing teams, empowering them to work smarter, faster, and with greater accuracy.”
About AutoForm
Whereas AutoForm provides software solutions for the stamping and body-in-white (BiW) assembly process. Defining the optimal scenario during the process engineering stage helps to avoid costly and time-consuming quality loops during the prototype and production phases.
This partnership enables automotive manufacturers to perform virtual dimensional inspections in PolyWorks|Inspector based on simulation models generated by AutoForm Forming and AutoForm Assembly at the process engineering phase. Engineers will receive inspection data and measurement results in real time using the PolyWorks|DataLoop centralised 3D measurement server.
The digital twin and 3D measurement-based process reduces the number of tooling and assembly process iterations. Process engineers and quality experts can detect dimensional issues 12 to 18 months before any tooling and part production. While engineering teams can utilise more detailed deviation analyses to improve simulation efficiency.
“Today, optimising process engineering by building a digital twin-based process, customers save around five million euros per year per car project. We are confident that bringing dimensional inspection early into the process engineering phase will save a couple of million more,” explains Olivier Leteurtre, CEO of AutoForm.
About Duwe-3d
Finally, Duwe-3d is an exclusive PolyWorks Master distributor for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The company provides customers with PolyWorks software extensions that meet their specific requirements.
The extension of this business relationship was sparked by the development of an experimental virtual clamping plug-in for PolyWorks|Inspector. Designed to streamline the inspection process of stamped parts, the solution applies virtual clamping forces through simulation software. The plug-in enables the deforming of a 3D scanned model of an unconstrained sheet metal piece, with the tool eliminating the need to build checking fixtures for individual sheet metal parts, speeding up inspection and reducing tooling costs.
“Our customer 'Porsche Leipzig' is already virtually clamping their parts and checking them in PolyWorks. Proof of Concepts for other OEMs have shown cost & time savings of up to 60%,” said Claus Knoll, CEO of Duwe-3d.
