What CMM software do you use - new thread

[bsmith]

Hello everyone, new here and this is my first post. I work in a small job shop and am shopping for a CMM. I am resurrecting this thread because it’s been three years since anyone has added an opinion. I have no experience with CMMs. What I am finding is there isn’t a big difference in the hardware for a small bridge style CMM. It's easier to compare the hardware but much more difficult to compare software. To understand what feature each software manufacturer has as standard and what are options. Who’s would be the easiest to learn, best reports etc. Hexagon Metrology has probably done the best job selling PC DMIS. There are plenty of webinars and YouTube videos to give a newbie a taste. I’ve narrowed my search to three machines/software programs. Hexagon’s PC DMIS, Nikon’s Camio DMIS or Renishaw’s MODUS DMIS. I don’t think there is a big difference between the last two??? We are planning on a DCC machine so we’ll be getting the CAD versions of the software. I wish they’d offer a hands on tutorial or temporary license to play and get a feel. Any preference from you long time multiuser programmers. BTW three weeks of internet searching and I found the information on this site as my best resource. Thank you!

 

[The real Leigh]

I moved this to a new thread to avoid confusion, as it was the 25th post in the other thread, which was three years old and contained out-of-date information.

- Leigh

 

[dstryr]

I have the Zeiss Calypso and the old Mit software on our older CMM. The name of the software escapes me at the moment.

 

[bsmith]

I'm starting to believe that the learning curve on all these software packages is huge. It seems all the latest advancements in CMM technology have come in the form of software advances. Powerfull stuff of which I will probably only scratch the surface. I'm leaning towards Renishaw's Modus. The playing field is shrinking (Shefield, DEA, Leitz, Brown and Sharp even the old Starrett CMM where all bought out by Hexagon. Nikon bought out LK. Mitutoyo, Zeiss, Wenzel, Helmel and Coord3, an Italian manufacturer that makes Zeiss's large Gantry and Bridge frames and has an arrangement with Nikon I believe they are being marketed under a few names. Hexagon Metrologies has done a good job capturing this market, it's no wonder why PCDMIS is the most popular software.

 

[CatMan]

We run PC DMIS on a B&S CMM that's supported by Hexagon. No real complaints.

I'd definitely give the Renishaw MODUS a good look though. Seeing as how there's a Renishaw probe on our CMM and the experience we've had with their machine tool probes.

 

[hotbluechips]

I have CMM Manager on two machines and MCOSMOS on the new mit cmm.
CMM Manager works well for me , it's all manual and is very easy to use.
The MCOSMOS on the mit machine is in a different bdlg.
I dont use it and all I know how to do is cal. the probe.
Doing some training in evenings trying to learn it.

 

[eplatkin]

To get some really in-depth info about the various CMM hardware and software check out this site: cmmguys.com. Name the machine, mfg., software, etc. and there is a forum for it.

 

[RXMetrology]

On-line self-paced CMM and GDT training

I'm starting to believe that the learning curve on all these software packages is huge. It seems all the latest advancements in CMM technology have come in the form of software advances. Powerfull stuff of which I will probably only scratch the surface. I'm leaning towards Renishaw's Modus. The playing field is shrinking (Shefield, DEA, Leitz, Brown and Sharp even the old Starrett CMM where all bought out by Hexagon. Nikon bought out LK. Mitutoyo, Zeiss, Wenzel, Helmel and Coord3, an Italian manufacturer that makes Zeiss's large Gantry and Bridge frames and has an arrangement with Nikon I believe they are being marketed under a few names. Hexagon Metrologies has done a good job capturing this market, it's no wonder why PCDMIS is the most popular software.

I just found this forum and am glad to see people discussing CMM software in a forum not in CMM trade. There're so many different CMM software in the market (I've used more than 10, including all those popular ones) and even though the metrology in the background is pretty much same but they really work very differently. I've trained many CMM operators over the years and found sometimes it's easier for a totally new operator to learn because people who worked on other software before tend to always compare the new one to the old one, the one they really got used to. There's no such thing called "best CMM software", even the popular PC-Dmis has many annoying bugs in there. If you're interested to learn more about CMM software, you can either subscribe to my Youtube channel where I will post small video clips from time to time: Preview of building CMM models and sensors in OpenDmis - YouTube, or go directly to my on-line video training website to see more: Home and hopefully my videos will help you to learn CMM and GDT.

Best Regards,

Ray Xing
GDTP S-0605
CGP Certified (ITAR equivalent)
CMM Application Specialist
RX Metrology Solutions Inc.
One stop solution for self-paced Metrology training

 

[ThatGuyInTheLab]

I got to shop for a new CMM at my last job a couple years ago. The boss wanted not only purchase price, but all the associated costs: Software Maintenance Agreements, Hardware Maintenance Agreements, Fee Schedules (e.g., for annual calibrations), and the like. He had me calculate the cost of ownership per year based on the quotes we received and the information I gathered from visiting half a dozen CMM makers. Most expensive route: Hex. Least expensive... I'll get to that.
Software should be matched to your application, much like the CMM you select. Do you need large object high speed scanning? Do you need 5-axis measurement capability? Can the hardware you select be retrofitted or modified later as the technology evolves? Do you just need a sort of standard, plain vanilla machine with respectable capabilities? And, of course, is the boss aware that it's NOT a one-time investment, plunk down a pile of money and never worry about it again. There will be some accessorizing (fixture plates, fixturing hardware), air line filtration beyond the two little filters screwed on the back of the machine (demand it), and other things.

I've used V-DMIS, MODUS, and PC-DMIS, and MODUS is by far the easiest to get into. PC-DMIS, which I'm back to working with, is unnecessarily complicated, and is perpetuated by guys who have many years vested in keeping this thing going. It doesn't have to be that painful or complex. Another good selection, if you're getting reliable CAD files to work with, is CMM Manager, now owned by Nikon.

The equipment I eventually selected back then was a 7.12.5 Coord3 frame with all Renishaw electronics and a Renishaw PH20 5-axis touch trigger head. The software was MODUS, by Renishaw. (Oh, the size form factor on the CMM was actually driven by the ceiling height in the CMM Lab. I couldn't fit a taller machine in there...) And our calculated cost of ownership on that machine worked out to be 2.5%.

 

[Larry Dickman]

You just got fired.

 

[ThatGuyInTheLab]

Actually, I got brownie points. The high end of Cost of Ownership (CoO) was 13.5% (of the initial purchase price, per year), the low end was the setup I arranged. Most of the others (Nikon, Mitutoyo, Perceptron (formerly Coord3)) came in between 5% and 8%. The 2.5% covers software maintenance agreement, which keeps you updated when things get fixed, and the annual PM/Calibration for the machine. With a generic arrangement, hardware maintenance agreements are unnecessary since you can shop for the best price every time you need something worked. If Advanced or Omni-Tech couldn't come in to work on it, I could call Nikon if I had to. Money saved.

 

[RXMetrology]

In my past 20 yrs in CMM trade, I've used more than 14 cmm software starting with those old school, non-cad, code only platform all the way to most of modern software such as pc-dmis, open dmis, modus, etc., and a long list of various types of CMM hardware. Selecting a right CMM (no matter brand new or used one) for your specific application is not an easy job at all because so many factors need to be considered. Many of my customers have consulted with me when they have intention to expand their CMM lab (or buying their 1st CMM). I can easily spend 1-2 hrs to educate them on pros and cons on different hardware and software. In most cases, at the end it still boils down to how much budget they have unfortunately because most of the decision makers (managers most likely) are not really knowledgeable enough for such decision, so saving money still seems to be safe. If you have reasonably enough budget, going with a renishaw UCC controller with PH20 or even REVO will be my 1st pick because the throughput of 5 axis technology in my opinion is most efficient probing system. But there were certain cases I strongly suggested Zeiss technology to my customer due to their unique requirement. I won't be able to get into too many details because I will have to write a few pages.

Best Regards,

Ray Xing
GDTP S-0605 (ASME Y14.5)
CGP Certified (ITAR equivalent)
CMM Application Specialist
RX Metrology Solutions Inc.
One stop solution for CMM and GDT training
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