Verisurf

[MIL-TFP-41]

hey all, right now we are running a 5 ax Brown & Sharp CMM with PC DMIS, a software package that I am less than impressed with. We are starting to look at other packages, and I was wondering what everones feelings are about Verisurf...being that it is based on Mastercam, I figure the learning curve on it will be minimal...so what are your opinions on Verisurf in gerneral ( ease of use a huge bonus )....and what other "aftermarket" cmm software options are there?

 

Thanks!

[Brad St.]

James, I'm in the same boat as you. Been using dmis now for a little over 2 years v3.5 mr2 cad++ and it didn't take long before I started looking also. Verisurf seemed like the ticket but you still had to run the code on guess what....dmis. Verisurf will generate the program code but you then import or read that file into the system your having trouble with. Didn't make sense to me to add another software and still filter it thru my troubles. Last year when I talked with verisurf they said they weren't rushing to come up with the complete package to run the controllers and the machines. I don't blame them, why be responsible for brown and sharpes end as well.

 

By the sounds of it were running comparable systems:

microexcel pfx with a ph10t head tp20 connector in conjunction with v3.5 mr2 cad++

 

Good Luck on your search, i'll be watching this post for any good feedback.

[Gorn]

We are using the PCDmis cad++ and the guys are starting to like it but we still get unexplained errors at times. I looked into Verisurf but its almost impossible to even get a demo no less any service here on the east coast. At Chicago last year I saw a program called CMMworks. Its a addon to Solidworks and it looked very promising.

 

My thought was to have the CNC programmers write a CMM "setup program" that just verified a features so that each tool offset could be checked. Let QA write their own programs

[Brad St.]

Gorn, Both CMMworks and verisurf are great products. The main benefit to Veri is it runs within Mastercam Design. I never got an answer back from Verisurf if there were any issues of it running inside of mill or not.

 

Dmis with cad is great also but the little quirks here are adding up to a lot of lost time especially when I'm programming offline to ca days before only to have it fail when it's needed and starting all over again.

[kccadcam]

James, We just purchased CMM Works,

http://www.accumetria.com/

Runs inside Solidquirks, looks very promising.

I'll keep you posted on how it works out.

[Verisurf - Ernie Husted]

Veriprobe can program a CMM the same as CMM Works can, the difference is that "CMM Works" works in Solidworks and Verisurf's Veriprobe works in Mastercam. Both products will post out some kind code (like DMIS) for some other CMM program to run.

 

Do you think we should offer a package to replace the controller and software?

 

Many CMM controllers are proprietary so that the manufactors don't lose out on software maintenance revenue.

 

Ernie

[Verisurf - Ernie Husted]

Verisurf does currently offer a full CMM solution for manual CMMs. no other software needed

 

Unless your doing production parts a manual CMMs is a much faster inspection system. No programming required. Full CAD Model or Blueprint based inspecting in minutes.

 

Verisurf is designed to run with Mastercam Design.

If you have Mill you have Design, just load it.

 

Partial list of Supported Interfaces:

 

Laser Trackers

API Tracker I, II Plus

Faro Tracker SI, SI2, X, XI

Leica Tracker LT(D) 300,500 (NetBEUI)

Leica Tracker 600,700,800 (EmScon),

Leica T-Probe, T-Cam, Video Camera, Nivel Level

SMX Tracker 3000, 4000, 4500

 

 

Measuring Arms

Faro Platinum, Titanium, Advantage, Gold, Silver, Bonze

Faro Laser ScanArm

Romer INFINITE, STINGER II, 3000i, 2000i, 1000i

Immersion MicroScribe 3D, G2, MX

 

 

Manual CMMs

Boice

Bridgeport

Brown & Sharpe

Coord 3

DEA

ELM

Fanamation

Federal

Ferranti

Giddings & Lewis

Helmel

IMS

ITP

C.E. Johansson

Kemco

LK Tool

MFO

Mitutoyo

Mora

Numerex

Oryzo

Picomm

Poli

Renault

Sheffield

Starrett

Stieffelmeyer

Tokio Boeki

Tokio Seimitsu

Tri Measure

Trimek

Wenzel

Zeiss

Zett Mess

[Fred @ Slate Industries]

We use "Measure Mind" here

Tell me is it Junk?

[MIL-TFP-41]

quote:

---

Unless your doing production parts a manual CMMs is a much faster inspection system.

---

Depends on the part. The whole thing that got this started was a round part with some crazy lofted surface with 300 holes put in all normal to the surface. I am not saying that it would be impossable on a manual 3 axis cmm...but it sure would not be easy.

 

Sounds like no matter what aftermarket package you go for, it posts out a program...which in our case would run under PCDMIS.

 

CMMWorks looks pretty cool (thanks Kevin)...if it keeps track of the tolerences created with the model...looks to be one less step in programing.

[Verisurf - Ernie Husted]

James,

 

quote:

---

I am not saying that it would be impossable on a manual 3 axis cmm...but it sure would not be easy.

---

Now that depends on what kind of manual 3 axis cmm your talking about.

 

Take a manual articulating arm CMM and your Mastercam model, with Verisurf you can measure the hole postions as fast as you can put the probe in each hole and press the button.

 

Lets say about 1 second per hole at 300 holes thats about 5 minutes, you will have a finished Inspection report much MUCH faster then the programming and running a CMM the traditional old way, not to mention the probe calibration time for all the different hole angles.

 

Arms these days have an accuracy of less then .001

" volumetrically, and .0002" repeatability, good enough for most part tolerances and less costly.

 

If you watch the market CMM sales have been going down and Arm sales have been skyrocketing.

 

 

Ernie

[MIL-TFP-41]

quote:

---

articulating arm CMM

---

articulating 3 axis?

[Verisurf - Ernie Husted]

I was thinking 3D parts with 5-axis holes, Any 3 axis CMM would not work well for 5axis holes.

 

I'm sure you have an articulating probe on your CMM that gives you more then 3 axis as well.

 

An articulating arm CMM measures in 3D space with no limitation on the probe angle positions and no probe angle calibration is required.

 

 

Ernie

[Fred @ Slate Industries]

Well I guess Its CMMWorks!

I'll contact are CAD reseller Tommorow.

Thank you

Tony

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

Tony

What was the deciding factor? The one thing I have not noticed in this thread is the "report" factor. What data is available to create custom reports or spc reports. I sell neither one, but have seen both and they look very good. I was impressed with the reporting that verisurf was capable of.

[Tim Martinez]

Tony,

Have you seen the reporting capability of Verisurf? What exactly are your needs and what was it that you heard about CMMWorks that convinced you to pursue it? Take another look at Verisurf before committing. I think you will find that it will meet your needs.

 

Tim

[Fred @ Slate Industries]

Its cool, Now were on Hold here for a while

all of a sudden

Engineering is Solidworks based

and they work hand in hand with QC.

(You know there's the Fresh parts on the table

there's the Giant drawing of the part in metric and written in Japanese and there the Engineers and The QA staff all scratching there heads).

So the thought was to keep it all in one package.

[Don S at Barefoot CNC South]

Ernie,

We are using Verisurf now and it is very easy to learn. I am using automate, to make inspection easy and consistant. I am having trouble with the mirror image function in verisurf, I have sent James a file. We have lots of mirror image parts and I was hoping to use this function.

[billystein]

I have seen dimis and have to agree with you guys.

I saw language based commands no real graphics interface.

Verisurf is totally graphics based and you can use all the editing from MC. The first thing I noticed is when you do an alignment the probe appears on the screen. then when you move the probe it is real time on the screen. You can see the probe go into hole and pockets.

the automate tool is really quick for production checking.

Easy to create lines arcs, planes,cylinders and points. also checks these to model.

 

verisurf seems to work with anything. with the new faro arm it is probably 5 times faster than a manual cmm.

 

verisurf rules.

 

billy

[DC Gorn]

Did anyone ever get the CMMworks? No support here on the east coast for Verisurf.