Incorporating blue laser technology, an ultra-fast frame rate, specially developed optics and the ability to measure the most challenging materials, ModelMaker H120 is the next generation of portable laser scanner from Nikon Metrology. It efficiently delivers detailed, accurate data either in the metrology lab or on the shop floor in a fraction of the time of competing technologies and offers high productivity for challenging applications.
Having a field-of-view width up to 120 mm and a point resolution down to 35 μm, the system is ideal for users requiring fast, detailed data collection over a large area. A frame rate of over 450Hz is available even when measuring difficult surfaces such as carbon fibre and gloss black as well as reflective or multi-coloured parts.
With 2,000 points per scan line and no reliance on point-to-point interpolation to artificially boost data density, it is possible to measure very small details on large surfaces even when cycle time is critical. So whatever the application, users can be confident that the productivity and clarity of the data remains at the highest level.
ModelMaker H120 uses advanced Nikon optics and a blue, low speckle laser to generate high accuracy, low noise data, making it possible to clearly identify small scratches and abrasions on a surface. In addition to rapid collection of surface data, sharp edges are represented with clarity thanks to a scanner accuracy of 7 μm (1 sigma) and a combined system accuracy with Nikon Metrology’s MCAx articulated arms of up to 28 μm (2 sigma).
The fourth generation of the company’s Enhanced Sensor Performance (ESP4) dynamically adapts the laser source intensity not just for every scan line, but for every point in each scan line, enabling parts with significant colour changes or reflectivity to be measured from any angle. This minimises the need for training, as a single scanner setting is capable of measuring almost all parts encountered in industrial metrology applications.
Thermal stability and temperature compensation eliminate the need for a warm-up period. The user simply connects the unit to a PC using a USB cable, powers on and starts scanning within a few seconds. Real-time feedback is provided by display of the boundaries of the measurement area, ensuring that scanning is always from the optimal position. An integrated locking mechanism provides a simple, user-friendly and repeatable connection to MCAx arms of different sizes and specifications throughout a facility, so there is no need to move the whole arm assembly.
Using the ModelMaker H120 scanner with the high performance MCAx arm, the combination of non-contact scanning and contact probing allows users the freedom to measure almost anything. It includes freeform and geometric parts, hard-to-reach features, highly textured or transparent materials and even those that deform easily, such as foams and textiles. In many cases of industrial feature measurement, the accuracy and low noise level of the new scanner significantly exceeds the performance of tactile probes.
Through direct integration with a variety of class-leading software tools for scanning, probing, processing and dimensional analysis of measurement data, users can tailor the solution to their needs. Applications range from advanced inspection using GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing) with colour map comparisons to nominal CAD, fly-outs and sectional cut-through, to reverse engineering or even simply using highdefinition scan data to generate polygon meshes for additive manufacturing.
