Shows and Conferences

Originally Published EMDM May/June 2001

Showstoppers

A selection of innovative products and services exhibited at Interphex (Philadelphia, PA, USA) and National Manufacturing Week (Chicago, IL, USA)

Design software

A piece of software called Geomagic Qualify allows automatic graphical comparisons between a CAD master model and the built part or object. The program was introduced by Raindrop Geomagic (Research Triangle Park, NC, USA) at the National Manufacturing Week show in Chicago.

Shop-floor inspectors, technicians, and design engineers can use Geomagic Qualify to evaluate and report deviations between designed and built parts. Inspections can be performed with one click of the mouse and shared with colleagues via automatically generated, Internet-ready HTML reports. Raindrop Geomagic reports that the program provides accurate comparisons that allow users to comply with even the strictest deviation standards.

Important features of the software include automatic alignment, IGES and STEP import, tolerance and deviation computation, colour mapping of results, and annotations. It aligns and scans data and CAD models automatically for precise comparisons. Users can specify the level of tolerance for comparisons and report deviation results in minute detail. Deviation levels are displayed graphically using customized colours. Comments or deviation data can be added to a Qualify model for use in reports and presentations.

Geomagic Studio 3.1, another program introduced at the show, takes both geometric and photometric data and transforms them into realistic 3-D models for manufacturing, biometric, and e-commerce applications. Fully automated and easy to learn, Geomagic Studio is designed for use by both modelling experts and beginners.