In the last few years we have seen new trends in terms of how and where Hexagon arms are used, so the main goal of the updated Absolute Arm is to deliberately respond to those trends. What we’ve seen is more and more customers using their arms in more dirty and challenging environments – places like machining shops or foundries, where dust and fluid (oil and water) are always present.
We have also seen customers shipping their arm off-site more and more frequently, often to a different facility, but sometimes even to a different country. Finally, like many manufacturing companies, we also see high market growth in new markets – places like Vietnam, where perhaps the climate is warm and humid, and our customers do not have the infrastructure normally associated with high-end metrology equipment. So when we took a step back and looked at these trends, it was very easy to see that we needed to bring a new level of robustness to the arm if we were going to meet the latest measurement challenges of many of our customers.
The updated Absolute Arm has two vital new features: IP54 protection against dust and fluids, and a wider operating temperature range, from 5 to 45°C. What that means for the user is that the arm can be used in hotter (and colder) environments than previously, and that the arm can be used in places where dust and fluid are present. Places like foundries, as I mentioned before, but also machining centres (particularly ones that use a water jet, or involve the machining of composite parts, which creates a lot of fine dust) are some examples, but there are many more.
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We have seen customers measuring automotive exhaust pipes, for example, by raising the car up and measuring from underneath. What happens if oil or brake fluid drips on the arm there? Hexagon is confident that the answer to that question is nothing happens that a damp cloth can’t fix.
On top of that, the SFx Asset Management platform allows users to monitor remotely. You can see the arm’s status at any time – is it active? What type of probe is it using? This, combined with the global coverage of our service centres means that our customers can measure pretty much anywhere with greater confidence. As I said before, ‘confidence’ is the key to this product.
Article by: Hexagon Metrology (Thailand) Co., Ltd.