Hexagon Metrology welcomes technical experts to Automation Forum
Automotive professionals joined metrology and manufacturing industry experts at the new Hexagon Metrology Automation Centre in Wetzlar, Germany to celebrate its opening with a free technical conference. The two-day event opened on 30 September and included over 15 sessions designed to help attendees harness the power of actionable information.
Focusing on inline and offline 3D measurement technology within body shell manufacturing, the Automation Forum showcased how top vehicle manufacturers are driving productivity by moving quality assurance into the production process.
As well as the inauguration of the new Automation Centre at Wetzlar, highlights included a live demonstration of a Hexagon Metrology 360? SIMS (Smart Inline Measurement Solutions) cell. Utilising the large-area measurement capabilities of white light scanning equipment alongside advanced industrial robots and patented integration systems, 360? SIMS is Hexagon Metrology’s complete solution for fully-automated dimensional process and quality control. Attendees could also get hands-on and test a range of metrology hardware and software solutions live between the programme of compelling sessions.
The Automation Forum featured presentations on trends in the automotive world from leading experts in Industry 4.0, big data and collaborative robotics. Mark Fulthorpe from IHS Automotive spoke about how OEMs are adapting to the needs of the market to increase production flexibility and there was a session on simulation and virtual offline programming from Dr Johan S. Carlson, Director of the Fraunhofer-Chalmers Centre.
“Our research and development direction is heavily influenced by dialogue with customers and experts, which allows us to better understand their needs,” said Mr Per Holmberg, President of Hexagon Metrology EMEA.
“Industry-focused events like this are a hugely productive way of interfacing with customers and sharing knowledge in both directions. Our new Automation Centre is an impressive facility and it’s only right that this impressive audience of automotive industry experts were here to celebrate its opening. I’m sure this facility will host many more events like this in future.”