Visible and examined quality

The high (technical) quality of a product can become a unique selling point in international competition. The geometric quality of mechanical elements from mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, from drive technology as well as from precision tool manufacturing is regarded as a key indicator.

HAWK - the software tool for production-oriented quality control

Only if you can manufacture your products in consistently high quality at all times you will convince your customers and sustain on the world market. The documented and reproducible accuracy of a precision part guarantees that it can be used safely and flexibly.

The consistat reproducible high quality of the manufacturing process is an essential factor for productivity, economic efficiency and ultimately for cost reduction in production.

The earlier quality control takes effect, the better you can guarantee these goals. In addition to the on-site parameterization of the measurement, you can transfer precision parts parameterized in PTM for production with their parameters directly for the measurement of their characteristic geometric features in HAWK. The measurements can of course be carried out during production: The results of partial results in the production process are combined into an overall protocol.

As a powerful software tool for dimensional metrology, HAWK is consistently oriented towards product characteristics and the manufacturing process.

HAWK contributes significantly to the optimization of product quality. The software:

  • can be used for process-oriented measurement on a coordinate measuring machine and process-integrated within a machine tool
  • reduces a complicated thinking into the abstract world of the coordinate measuring technique by high user-friendliness
  • convinces by particularly simple preparation of the measuring task, because the setting of dimensions is predefined for the measurement of individual parameters
  • automatically creates the inspection drawing with the characteristics transferred from the part parameterization
  • enables part-specific adaptation or completely manual test drawing creation for general measurements with convenient, CAD-like tools for dimensioning and setting up support geometries.

How HAWK works

With the aid of modern coordinate measuring technology, HAWK records the features of your workpiece to be measured and compares the measurement data with the target values from the design drawing. Are all measurement results in tolerance? In addition to an efficient measuring process, HAWK stands for a production- and part-oriented evaluation and presentation of results in ad hoc comprehensible graphics. Measurement results that are not within tolerance require corrective measures: HAWK as an integrated solution provides a homogeneous interface for the correction of geometry and/or manufacturing kinematics in PTM. As a stand-alone solution, HAWK offers neutral interfaces to the design department and work preparation.

The concept and performance of HAWK is aimed at the two main areas of application:

  • Measuring close to the process on a coordinate measuring machine offers the most extensive possibilities in terms of sensor technology and flexibility. This method is independent of the machine tool and can be used in a variety of ways in conjunction with stand-alone machines and manufacturing cells.
  • Process-integrated measurement in the machine tool provides a considerable efficiency advantage, especially for large, difficult-to-handle parts and an expected loss of accuracy due to chipping in and out.

Central contact point for quality assurance

As a programming, evaluation and documentation system for the digital measurement of geometric quantities, HAWK is at the same time a local information base, a control element in the (production) process control loop and a link to information processing. If standard measuring devices are equipped with HAWK, HAWK takes over the entire functional measuring process from the programming of the measuring task and the navigation of the measuring device to the evaluation and documentation of the measuring results. To the same extent, HAWK offers itself as a software solution in the measuring device as retrofit.

The appropriate modules are also available for integration into the production sequence in the machine tool. The connection to the respective control software is preferably made via standard interfaces such as DMIS or standard NC code.

In any case, HAWK is ready for use in a quality-managed manufacturing environment.

Simple measurement through part-specific parameterization

Measuring and evaluating the measurement of, for example, cutting precision tools are complex tasks:

  • Most measurements have to be carried out on a spatially curved cutting edge or on free-form surfaces - such as the back of the gear tooth.
  • Measurement locations and procedures are specified in standards and guidelines depending on the part.
  • The evaluation of the measurement results must also comply with the tool standards and tolerance specifications.

In order to prepare a successful, informative measurement, it is therefore advisable to set the part to be measured into the correct parameters based on drawing data. HAWK does this work for you: It automatically generates the spatial geometry, such as the spatial cutting edge of a tool, via the calculation database for precision cutting tools from profile and flute. The test drawing, which is also automatically generated from this, contains the parameter names and can therefore be instantly understood at a glance. If you couple the measuring device bidirectionally and thus allow data exchange, you can measure individual variables or the complete precision part directly from the inspection drawing.

Example worm gear hob - complete parameterization of the hob geometry and all measuring tasks

Clear, informative inspection drawings

Ideally, if the precision part to be measured has been parameterized in HAWK or the parameterization for production can be taken over from PTM, the test drawing including access to the associated tolerance tables is created completely automatically. The application-dependent descriptive display, ensures fast and reliable recording and interpretation of the results.

When measuring general, non-parameterizable workpieces or tools, convenient CAD-analog tools are available for setting up specific production- and part-related dimensioning. This includes possible auxiliary line constructions as well as the definition of tolerances or tolerance ranges. The basis here is usually the nominal geometry read in via DXF or ASCII files, which can be adapted to the current measuring task by means of suitable scaling or transformation algorithms if required.

Practical oriented tools for a targeted evaluation

Our software developers are in constant exchange with design engineers and manufacturing specialists. They know about the regular requirements and meet them through features integrated in the software. With HAWK, you can therefore evaluate your measurement in a targeted manner according to the requirements from production and the intended function of the measured object. For example, the software enables flexible setting of measurement, evaluation and best-fit ranges via range operations, elimination of outliers and element transition problems by means of adjustable dynamic filters and targeted fitting of function-determining geometries. With the help of a virtual probe, even a tactile measurement can be simulated on the basis of optical measuring points.

Flexibility through modular design

Like PTM - our tool for manufacturing simulation and manufacturing automation - HAWK can also be installed either complete as stand-alone software or integrated into an existing manufacturing solution. HAWK and the PTM virtual machine work on the same data/information basis: once a tool/precision part has been defined, it can be prepared in parallel for production and quality control. The direct allocation of data for both areas sets a benchmark for quality-controlled manufacturing processes via the corrective feedback of production-related deviations. Standardized, customer- and application-specific system interfaces guarantee the connection to the operational IT solutions.

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