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Opinions on CMM brands/recommendations

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Hot Rolled
Joined
Sep 17, 2015
Location
Cleveland
Backstory,

I've used B&S 9.12.9 and 9.15.9 for 12 years or so. Our 30 year old machine has crapped out to the point where not only will Hexagon not to a trade in/refurbish deal, the bill to fix it all approaches 40K. My boss has decided that's too much to sink into 30 year old technology. And he's right.

It has fallen to me to research a replacement. I'm currently open to the major brands:

Hexagon (B&S)
Mitutoyo
Zeiss
Nikon
Wenzell

I don't relish the thought of having to relearn proprietary software, but it's not that hard.

Our use for this machine is going to be with a laser scanning head on stamping die details for reverse engineering purposes. So the proprietary software needs point cloud to solid functionality.

I'm asking for opinions, pros/cons.
 
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I can't help with brand choice (ours is an old LK, now Nikon, they seem to be well regarded but I don't have anything to compare it to).

But software, for your purposes you have some options that are CMM brand agnostic and that have strong support for point cloud work, namely PowerInspect and Polyworks.

I've used PowerInspect on ours for a few years now and like it, but we don't do scanning/point cloud.
 
We had a Hexagon machine a few years back. It did not repeat for poo if you ask me BUT I think that was purely the operator IMO... Never used laser or point cloud so no clue on that stuff.
 
We bought a Wenzel with a Renishaw Revo head in 2017. Been a very good machine to this point. No problems. I've never used laser scanning. And I don't know if Renishaw even offers it. But the machine itself has been very reliable.
 
Currently working on getting a OGP SmartScope Flash 500 up and running we got second hand. It seems like a decent machine although I am not a expert with these by any means. Customer service with getting parts for it is pretty good so far which is always a plus in my book. we got the machine form another site that pretty much dismantled it and left it to me to rebuild. Not sure if that helps but my point is how customer service treats you after you buy the product is important to me at least especially if you can find parts for a ageing machine.
 
I would send out some sample parts with instructions on what you want checked and request a video of it being done multiple times.
I always ask that the part be removed and then reloaded with some shift/rotate on the multi runs...this is important and makes you cringe if you are the guy doing the demo.
Not only can you get speed and some sort of repeat you find out how the support system is for you as a user.
I spent a lot of time working tightly with LK and the family in the days of PDP computers so a bias. (stories here about a company named Renishaw and turning a good person loose)
Before personal computers there was a saying that "No had to apologize for buying a IBM". That saying sort of applies to Zeiss.
Bob
 
Our shop has been running a retrofitted Hexagon machine with Renishaw REVO head, our guys love it. The speed on that thing is unreal, we went away from Hexagon because of the support and reliability of the X1H scanning head it came with, it only last about 5 months. As noted above Wenzel makes a good machine if you are looking new.
 








 
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