By adding a laser probe to a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), Sonaca, a large Belgian aerospace-structures supplier, has greatly increased the completeness of its inspections, obtaining full documentation of every component’s geometry. When the company inspected sheet metal components in the past, 3-D shape was validated by using two complementary methods: Base shape was controlled by comparing them to Mylar patterns on a light table, and 3-D shape was controlled via manual methods. Using CMMs to inspect the complex sheet metal parts would have required a long programming process for each of the many different parts produced by the company. “We found the ideal solution to this problem by adapting a laser probe on a CMM,” says Anne-Laure Schurins, Sonaca’s quality control manager in Gosselies, Belgium. “In a few minutes, the laser probe generates millions of points that completely describe the geometry of the part. We import the point cloud into a software package that compares it to the actual part geometry and highlights any discrepancies. Finally, we save an electronic file that provides complete documentation of the part geometry.”

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