RCA - Robot CMM Arm Revolutionizing 3D inspection
nikon metrology I vision beyond precision
RCA, the Robot CMM Arm Combining the best of CMMs and articulated arms
Nikon Metrology’s RCA, the revolutionary Robot CMM Arm, combines the best of two worlds by offering the automation capability of a traditional CMM and the mobility and part accessibility of an articulated arm. A rugged design, easy programming and intrinsic absolute accuracy step up 3D laser scanning productivity and flexibility of on-site inspection assignments.
Patented robot CMM arm concept Nikon Metrology’s RCA is a robotized CMM arm that introduces patented technology to accelerate repetitive 3D inspection jobs. The Robot CMM Arm interfaces a highly accurate, internal 7‑axis articulated arm with an external skeleton driven by electromotors. This unique concept creates a measuring robot that drives a Nikon Metrology MMD laser scanner along the programmed motion path.
ModelMaker MMD laser scanner 7-axis operation supports optimum scanning angles
Electromotors drive the external skeleton
Truly absolute measurement accuracy Thanks to premium encoder technology and stiff carbon fiber axes, RCA intrinsically offers truly absolute measurement accuracy within an inspection volume of 4.2 meter diameter today, and with larger models to come later. The first release of RCA is equipped with the Nikon Metrology MMD laser scanner, with more compatible laser scanner types to follow soon. These digital laser scanners feature excellent material scanning capabilities and offer fast data acquisition for both feature and surface inspection.
Handheld control panel to interactively define scanner path
Integrated controller and direct plug to PC
Standard 110/220V power supply
No special floor foundation nor air pressure needed
Designed to operate in workshop and production environments (IP 54)
Automation Automatic part-to-CAD inspection guarantees high inspection consistency and productivity anywhere repetitive inspection is performed.
External skeleton supports the highly accurate 7-axis articulated arm
Accessibility The capability to access inner cavity locations of specimens, such as vehicle body shells, is a major leap forward compared to traditional CMMs and even articulated arms.
Mobility Docking stations facilitate fast and repeatable installation of the RCA at different inspection locations.
Total solution
Digital 3D laser scanner
• Choice between 50mm stripe width for maximum accuracy, 100mm and 200mm stripe width for maximum productivity • High-speed scanning up to 80 stripes per second • Convenient connection of scanner directly to computer without interface box
Digital Nikon Metrology scanners quickly and accurately digitize both surface and geometric features.
Camio-driven inspection process The RCA seamlessly integrates with Camio CMM software. Scanner path and orientation can be defined interactively using a handheld control panel, or directly from CAD using Camio’s off-line programming capability. The inspection process – from scan data acquisition and feature recognition to full-featured reporting – is executed from within Camio. Alternatively, process automation engineers may opt for a third-party robot programming software to define RCA motion.
Manual teach-in activity is much more straight forward using a handheld control panel.
Environmental conditions • Operating temperature range : 0 to 45°C • Relative humidity : 0 to 95%, non-condensing • Safety : ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999 • Environmental protection : IP 54
Scanner path and orientation can be interactively defined using a handheld control panel, or off-line using Camio.
Nikon Metrology NV
Nikon Corporation
Geldenaaksebaan 329 B-3001 Leuven, Belgium phone: +32 16 74 01 00 fax: +32 16 74 01 03 info@nikonmetrology.com
Shin-Yurakucho Bldg., 12-1, Yurakucho 1-chome Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8331 Japan phone: +81 3 3773 9026 fax: +81 3 3773 9062 www.nikon-instruments.jp/eng/
Nikon Metrology Europe NV tel. +32 16 74 01 01 sales_europe@nikonmetrology.com Nikon Metrology GmbH tel. +49 6023 91733-0 sales_germany@nikonmetrology.com Nikon Metrology SARL tel. +33 1 60 86 09 76 sales_france@nikonmetrology.com
Nikon Metrology, Inc. tel. +1 810 2204360 sales_us@nikonmetrology.com us.nikonmetrology.com www.nikoninstruments.com Nikon Metrology UK Ltd. tel. +44 1332 811349 sales_uk@nikonmetrology.com
More offices and resellers at www.nikonmetrology.com
Nikon Instruments (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. tel. +86 21 5836 0050 tel. +86 10 5869 2255 (Beijing office) tel. +86 20 3882 0550 (Guangzhou office) Nikon Singapore Pte. Ltd. tel. +65 6559 3618 Nikon Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. tel. +60 3 7809 3609 Nikon Instruments Korea Co. Ltd. tel. +82 2 2186 8400
RCA_EN_0410 – Copyright Nikon Metrology NV 2010. All rights reserved. The materials presented here are summary in nature and intended for general information only.
The first release of RCA is equipped with the MMD laser scanner, with more compatible laser scanner types to follow soon. In order to consequently maintain optimum scanning conditions, RCA supports continuous adaptation of scanner orientation. The Robot CMM Arm runs quick, repeatable and accurate part-to-CAD inspection, increasing measurement productivity where repetitive inspection is performed on series of parts or part variants.