FACE TO FACE
particularly in the North American market and through the formation of the partnership with TRUMPF .
ISMR : What , in your view , are important industry trends , challenges and opportunities ? How are you responding to these ?
JA : A major trend that we have identified in quality control is the increasing performance levels of optical systems . In metrology , generally , we are seeing fewer and fewer moving systems . We started with CMMs which are moving systems that rely on
InspecVision wins Queen ’ s Award
On 3 September 2021 , InspecVision was presented with The Queen ’ s Award for Enterprise by Her Majesty ’ s Lord Lieutenant of Antrim , David McCorkell . The award recognised InspecVision for its ‘ excellence in international trade ’ with overseas sales growth of 129 % over the last three years .
InspecVision was one of five Northern Ireland firms and 205 organisations in the UK to be honoured with the award . The Queen ’ s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the UK , with winners personally approved by her Majesty the Queen .
Dr . Jan Antonis , InspecVision ’ s founder and managing director , said : “ I am delighted and humbled that InspecVision has achieved this prestigious award . It ’ s not only a celebration of the dedication and achievements of our team and distribution partners over recent years , but will also help to open doors as we strive to continue growing our business in the years to come .”
Now in its 55th year , the Queen ’ s Awards are the most prestigious business awards in the UK , with winning businesses able to use the emblem for the next five years . mechanical accuracy to measure parts . We then moved onto electro-mechanical systems and laser scanners for part inspection .
However , because of continuous increases in sensor fidelity , the industry is moving further and further away from mechanical measuring machines towards solid-state measurement systems with very high-resolution sensors . We are currently shipping inspection machines with 65-megapixel sensors that can measure incredibly large sheet metal parts at very high resolutions . For example , we sold a system to ArcelorMittal recently that could measure parts of 3.5m x 2.5m at 35 microns .
Our systems have been designed to have no calibrated moving parts ; they are solid state scanners . It is better to think of them as software products rather than traditional measurement machines , such as CMMS .
Around 99.9 % of our customer support is now online , often with a remote desktop connection . The travel restrictions prompted by COVID-19 have made this online service approach more familiar and acceptable to customers .
Customers also want metrology machines that are easy to use , especially for operators with little experience , and that can compensate for human error . We believe that we are meeting these needs .
ISMR : Are there any products , technologies or services that you have released or are releasing this year ( including for Blechexpo 2021 ) that you would like to discuss ?
JA : For some time , punching machines have been capable of additional machining operations ( e . g . adding counter sinks or bevels ). This capability is now also starting to become available in laser cutting machines , such as TRUMPF ’ s new ‘ EdgeLine Bevel ’ system .
The AOI option uses augmented reality to verify features on a part ’ s surface .
Until now our 2D measurements came just from the silhouette of the part , created with a backlight . Consequently , we could not see and therefore verify these surface features without adding one of the 3D scanning options . However , at the Blechexpo trade show in Stuttgart recently , we launched our AOI option . This innovation uses lights above the part to see and verify the 2D dimensions of features that only appear on the object ’ s surface . This could be the outer diameter of a counter sink or the location , diameter and presence of a pin or insert .
Because the AOI option uses 2D images without the need for 3D scanning , it is still extremely rapid .
ISMR : How are you leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence , augmented reality , Big Data , VR , robotics etc . for your business . How have you positioned InspecVision with respect to Industry 4.0 ?
JA : Augmented reality ( AR ) is of great practical use for inspection tasks on the shop floor . It can point at a part and highlight problematic or challenging areas that need addressing . It can help users to interpret vital data from a part . If you are measuring hundreds of parts , it is very difficult to pinpoint exactly which part on a table might have issues . Our machines project green light onto the good parts and red onto the bad parts , so we have been working with augmented reality quite heavily and will continue developing this area . AR is also used on our new guidance and verification ( GAV ) product .
AR also has the potential to train computers and cameras to recognise what constitutes a ‘ good ’ and a ‘ bad ’ sheet metal part e . g . an acceptable level of scratching on a sheet metal part etc . We are keeping an eye on this technology and believe that it has great potential .
40 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR December 2021 / January 2022