86 AdvancedManufacturing.org | June 2015

Medical Metrology

Measurable Improvementsin Medical Metrology

Ilene WolffContributing Editor

A survey of developments

in the industry

Last year, metrology machinery makers must

have been thinking about Galileo’s advice to

“make measurable what is not so.”

Hexagon Metrology, Mitutoyo and Opti-

cal Gaging Products introduced new or updated

software. Mitutoyo and OGP also brought out

new telecentric technology, while Leica Microsys-

tems offered a two-fer: a machine that combines

confocal microscopy with interferometry. And Zeiss

Industrial Metrology introduced a redesigned CMM

line that promises to use 60% less compressed air.

A Stitch in Time

Mitutoyo borrows one concept from CT scan-

ning with its Points from Focus (PFF) software that

“stitches” X, Y and Z-axis images together to build

a 3D topographic map or point cloud. While CT

scans give a look inside the workpiece, PFF scans

only the external surfaces.

PFF works “with optics and software” on any

Quick Vision-series machine his company makes,

explained Allen Cius, vision/optics product specialist.

The main idea is that this technology can be

put on an existing Quick Vision platform, and the

customer needs only an objective lens and soft-

ware to enable this type of scanning, Cius said.

“We do not need to retrofit an additional scanning

sensor, we are using the existing optical path and

camera to create the stacked images,” he said,

“which makes this a more cost-effective solution

in some cases.” Hexagon Metrology has significantly updated its PC-DMIS 2014.1 software.

June 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 87

A combination of power turret (PT) positions and objec-

tive magnifications result in the following: the field of view in

PT 1× magnification ranges from 2.49 × 1.86 mm to 0.25

× 0.19 mm (XY direction): In PT 2× magnification, the FoV

ranges from 1.24 × 0.93 mm to 0.31 ×

0.23 mm. “Each field of view contains

approximately 300,000 data points,”

said Cius.

The Z-axis measuring range in stan-

dard mode ranges from 1.3 mm (0.5

µm slices) to 21 mm (7 µm slices); the

Z scanning pitch in wide-range mode

ranges from 2.7 mm (0.9 µm slices) to

40.6 mm (14 µm slices).

PFF is a viable option in medical

shops where operators wouldn’t want

to touch the workpiece and create un-

wanted scratches or marks. “I’ve also

used PFF for minute forms that you

can’t measure using contact meth-

ods” in micro or nano-manufacturing,

such as components for hearing aids,

said Cius.

Mitutoyo also upgraded its hardware

last year.

The company’s Quick Image 2D

color vision measuring system uses

telecentric optics, making objects with

a depth of 22 mm, or that are 22-mm

tall, converge into focus, making it a

replacement for an optical comparator

for small pieces, said Cius.

For workpieces larger than a ma-

chine’s FoV, the operator can move

the stage to acquire multiple sections,

comparing back to a single datum set.

“We’re probably the only manufac-

turer that has an accurate stage that

you can move around to accommodate

larger workpieces,” Cius said.

QI can also execute many

simultaneous measurements with

a single click of a mouse or an

optional foot switch, due to its pattern

recognition capability. “You can

actually do multiple parts at the same

time even in a random orientation, and you don’t have to

tell the software to determine how many are there,” said

Cius. “It’s literally pushing one button to do a sequence of

accurate measurements.”

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88 AdvancedManufacturing.org | June 2015

Saving Air

For small workpieces, Zeiss Industrial Metrology intro-

duced the redesigned, industrial-styled Contura CMM line

that promises greater precision and cost savings, with a 60%

reduction in compressed air usage.

“Customers have to pay for compressed air, it’s not free,”

said David Wick, manager of product management for Zeiss

Industrial Metrology (Maple Grove, MN). “If you are a large

shop and you have eight or 10 CMMs running, you don’t need

to be using up that utility when the machine’s not being used.”

“Parts we measure are getting more complicated, with advanced geometric dimensioning and tolerancing callouts.”

The Contura line has a new feature, navigator technol-

ogy, for active sensors that allows faster scanning of circular

features, while also increasing accuracy. According to Wick,

it functions like a navigation

system with several short

and long-term benefits: It

helps to increase scan speed

and output, and decreases

or eliminates the probability

that the probe will hit what it’s

trying to measure, a critical

factor when working with

medical devices such as

stents or implantable device

casings. Think of it like a

GPS,” said Wick. “It plots

the fastest route to move the

probe around and measure

what needs to be measured.”

He described the Contura

as a high-performance model

that’s more affordable, with

the same controller, sensor

and software technologies

found in the company’s Ac-

cura and Prismo CMMs. So if

a shop or lab starts out with

a Contura, writes its own specific measurement program for

that machine, and then graduates to a larger machine, that

program is easily adapted to the bigger equipment, he said.

The Contura CMM line has eight models available, with

measuring volumes ranging from 700 × 700 × 600 mm up

to 1200 × 2400 × 1000 mm. The direkt model is for small

workpieces where a small, single or star stylus will do the job.

The RDS model’s articulating probe holder enables posi-

tions in 2.5° increments, resulting in 20,736 positions for

parts with different angular positions. Its sensor interface per-

mits the flexible use of contact and optical sensors, including

the Zeiss LineScan sensor.

The aktiv model is recommended when long styli (up to

500 mm) are needed for measurements deep inside a part or

for additional demands on precision and speed.

A Laser for Z

Optical Gaging Product’s (OGP; Rochester, NY) recent

2014 offerings include its ZONE3 software for multisensor

measurement systems, and the TeleStar Plus telecentric

interferometric through-the-lens laser, made specifically for

Z-axis measurement.

For ZONE3, “The most distinguishing factor is the fact

that it was designed around multiple sensors,” said Tom

Groff, sales manager for OGP in North America.

Medical Metrology

Leica Microsystems’ DCM8 is a two-in-one

machine with high-definition confocal

microscopy and interferometry.

June 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 89

Plus, he explained, there’s no need to determine a pri-

mary sensor. As a result, ZONE3 can operate SmartScope

multi-sensor systems with video, laser, touch and scan-

ning probes. Also, it accepts CAD models—even multiple

ones—and makes use of automatic

feature generation tools. It does this by

analyzing the CAD model for features

with similar characteristics to speed up

routine building and help optimize the

run time.

ZONE3 was many years in develop-

ment, and introduced at IMTS 2014. Its

built-in 3D animations “clearly display

relationships between parts, sensors,

alignments, GD&T and machine tooling,

making ZONE3 a great teaching tool,”

said Groff.

Nate Rose, manager of applications

for OGP, agreed, and said, “It gives

them a snapshot of what they’re see-

ing. It’s a valuable step.”

ZONE3 also comes in a Pro version,

with additional advanced features includ-

ing simultaneous evaluations, advanced

reporting, variables and scripting.

The TeleStar Plus Z-axis laser sys-

tem is a true through-the-lens technol-

ogy that’s specific to OGP’s Quest line

of CMMs, said Rose. It’s capable of

measuring areas on parts where light

might be obscured when using trian-

gulation sensors. And its special laser

interferometer makes it more accurate

and less prone to error on rough or

shiny surfaces.

The TeleStar Plus’ larger working

distance gives it the ability to probe

as deeply as about 20 cm with 2

µm accuracy into, for example, an

orthopedic implant with a deep well,

without crashing into the part. “It’s a

first-of-its-kind not necessarily specific

to the medical industry,” said Rose.

“It’s really given us a lot of flexibility

with applications that we’d not been

able to do before.”

Added Groff, “These parts that we measure are getting more

and more complicated, with advanced geometric dimensioning

and tolerancing callouts. If your software doesn’t know how to

accommodate that, you’re prone to measurement error.”

90 AdvancedManufacturing.org | June 2015

Two for One

In February 2014, Leica Microsystems (Wetzlar, Germany)

came out with its DCM8, a two-in-one machine that com-

bines high-definition confocal microscopy for lateral resolu-

tion up to 140 nm with interferometry for vertical resolution

up to 0.1 nm. Switching between the two modes is easy, and

reportedly takes just one click of a mouse.

A year later, Leica added focus variation with integration

to the DCM8, which overcomes limited

depth of field. By moving the workpiece

stage vertically, the machine acquires

images at different DoVs, and then de-

termines the plane with the best focus

to get a sharp image. This technology

is useful for measuring the roughness

of medical devices with steep angles,

such as tooth implants and artificial

joints, and for verifying the authenticity

of pharmaceuticals.

The utility of the new, dual

technology becomes apparent when

a manufacturer’s metrology specialist

needs to analyze a metal stent

coated with a transparent polymer, for

example. The confocal microscope,

with its capacity to measure slopes,

is used to analyze the roughness

on the stent’s curved metal surface,

while the interferometer can be better

for analyzing the thickness of the

polymeric coating. “The idea of taking

both technologies is to combine the

advantages of both worlds,” said

Oscar Rodriguez Carballo, applications

manager for Leica’s material sciences

division in Europe.

The optical microscope can also

be used for brightfield and darkfield

scanning.

Leveraging CAD

In December, Hexagon Metrology

(North Kingstown, RI) released a sig-

nificant update of its software used to

collect, evaluate, manage and present

manufacturing data, PC-DMIS 2014.1.

The update delivers performance

improvements overall, and major en-

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Medical Metrology

June 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 91

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they need and get from what the operator wants to measure to the end result.”

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Leica Microsystems847-236-3009 / leica-microsystems.com

Mitutoyo888-648-8869 / mitutoyo.com

Optical Gaging Products585-544-0400 / ogpnet.com

Zeiss Industrial Metrology800-327-9735 / zeiss.com

Mitutoyo’s Points from Focus software “stitches” X, Y and Z-axis images together

to build a 3-D topographic map or point cloud.