Featured Product
This Week in Quality Digest Live
CMSC Features
Etienne Nichols
What’s the difference?
Atul Minocha
It’s all about ROI
Ryan E. Day
September Speaker Series in review
Ryan E. Day
Realigning a cornerstone of industry
David H. Parker
Practical implications for electronic distance measurement

More Features

CMSC News
Expands simulations for electrification and aerospace design
VSL hosts special edition of show at new center in Rotterdam
Latest line touts comprehensive coverage, ease of use
Blackfly S GigE line grows
Voting for 2022–2023 term will open at CMSC 2022 starting July 25
New facility in Toronto area will showcase multiple Hexagon product lines
API division named ‘Top External Provider 2018’
Exact Metrology selected for project
Faster and more powerful than ever before

More News

Nikon Metrology Inc.

CMSC

Nikon Metrology Supports Measurement Room of the Future

Industry 4.0 initiative at BMW

Published: Thursday, August 29, 2019 - 21:22

(Nikon Metrology: Brighton, MI) -- Nikon Metrology is proud to support the BMW Group’s body shop at Dingolfing, Germany. As Industry 4.0 introduces a new era of digitalization, BMW has developed a new and innovative, fully automated inline measurement cell for quality control. Featuring the Laser Radar, the multiple measurement cell combines a whole range of industry-leading measuring solutions for full geometric inspection of vehicle body parts.

Nikonlaserradar.jpg

The Nikon Metrology Laser Radar

In the past, body-in-white measurements have been performed in two phases: first on the production line, with low-accuracy sensors to monitor the process; and second in a dedicated metrology room with offline CMMs and other measurement systems. This is typically very time-consuming and requires extra manual work for fixturing and alignment, leading to a disjointed process.

BMW’s new inline multiple measurement cell streamlines this phase by integrating the measurement process into the production flow and can operate 24/7 if required. The inline measurement cell features four robots and a range of innovative measurement methods, including the Laser Radar. The Laser Radar is used to measure the geometry of the car body to ensure all 300 bolts are present and correctly positioned in the floor of the car body in only 20 minutes. The process of the inline measurement cell greatly improves productivity and enables a higher-quality output.

Automated body-in-white inspection with the Laser Radar

Laser Radar provides accurate absolute inline measurements and faster feedback of quality information. The better and more regular the measured data is provided, the more tightly a production line can be controlled. This is especially true in automotive factories, where the increase in quality and repeatability is effective in production, prototyping, and ramp-up phases, ultimately leading to a much shorter time-to-market for a new vehicle.

Discuss

About The Author

Nikon Metrology Inc.’s picture

Nikon Metrology Inc.

Nikon Metrology Inc. offers the most complete and innovative metrology product portfolio, including state-of-the-art vision measuring instruments complemented with optical and mechanical 3-D metrology solutions. These reliable and innovative metrology solutions respond to the advanced inspection requirements of manufacturers active in aerospace, electronics, automotive, medical, consumer, and other industries. Systems are available in both fixed and portable configurations, equipped with single or multiple sensors.