InnovMetric, the independent software development company that empowers manufacturers of every size to digitally transform their 3D measurement processes, is announcing the launch of PolyWorks 2023. This new release expands the PolyWorks universal 3D metrology platform to offer a digital ecosystem integrated into the four phases of a manufacturing organization’s global dimensional management process: product design, process design, validation, and production. ​
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In addition to optimizing the performance of 3D measurement teams through universal platform enhancements, PolyWorks 2023 further reduces the cost of measuring in 3D in three different ways:​

• PolyWorks offers improved Model-Based Definition (MBD) and Measurement System Analysis (MSA) digital workflows that help manufacturing organizations minimize the number of software used within their global dimensional management process. ​
• The PolyWorks data management solution can now be deployed in less than 15 minutes in the cloud and be interconnected with a corporate identity server.​
• Finally, PolyWorks integrates new root cause analysis tools into its data management solution that can automatically identify the factors that impact production quality.​

“For 10 years, we have invested heavily in digital technologies, which today allows us to help our customers increase their use of 3D measurement data while reducing their operating costs. What is our secret? We digitally interconnect our customers’ platforms, such as CAD and PLM, PolyWorks, and Microsoft solutions. As a result, we can now easily provide business processes that previously required three or four different software and react in real time to problems on the production line while our decisions are based on factual 3D measurement data. Moreover, our customers can now deploy our data management solution in less than 15 minutes, which is a major breakthrough for small- and medium-sized enterprises,” says Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric. He concludes, “For manufacturing organizations that are still questioning the relevance of their digital transformation, the question to ask is no longer why, but when.”​

Product and process design phases

The PolyWorks|Inspector solution helps reduce time-to-market by measuring, controlling, and analyzing 3D dimensions at every stage of the product and process design phases. With PolyWorks|Inspector 2023, 3D measurement specialists can now set up measurement templates and perform 3D measurement tasks more efficiently. They can:​

• Analyze and edit large measurement sequences quickly by finding steps using keyword searches or navigating through step types, such as errors and warnings; ​
• Replace the source objects of a dependent feature and preserve all related objects, data alignments, and reports created from this feature;​
• Create curve-based features in a single click over a polygonal model of a measured piece to rapidly inspect a piece without CAD data.​

Mixed reality display technologies provide localized visual guidance, measurement feedback, and access to inspection functionalities, without encumbering the hands of operators. The PolyWorks|AR 2023 mixed reality app offers new powerful tools to guide laser scanning, review inspection results, and collaborate with colleagues. Users can now:

• Position the hologram of the PolyWorks|Inspector 3D Scene window within the operator’s field of view to see scanning progression, perform additional scanning in areas of poor data
  quality, and pinpoint exactly where to scan features;​
• Review feature deviations and color maps directly over the measured piece;​
• Call colleagues through Microsoft Teams to review inspection results collaboratively and discuss manufacturing issues efficiently.

The PolyWorks|PMI+Loop Model-Based Definition solution allows manufacturing organizations to manage all the dimensional controls defined by the design and manufacturing teams within their native CAD platform. By associating dimensional controls to CAD geometries within CAD software, PolyWorks|PMI+Loop can automatically update these controls when the CAD model is modified and provide the digital traceability needed to accelerate the integration of a CAD design change within an inspection project. With version 2023, InnovMetric has improved the speed of its MBD solution by an order of magnitude and significantly reduced CAD file size. PolyWorks|PMI+Loop is available for the Siemens NX, PTC Creo, and DS SolidWorks CAD platforms.​

Validation phase
Measurement System Analysis tools are essential to guarantee the capability of 3D measurement processes prior to certifying production tools. Since version 2021, users could launch a repeatability or gauge R&R study directly from PolyWorks|Inspector, be guided to capture the required probe,  scan, or gauge data, and review the results within an updateable Excel spreadsheet linked to the inspection project. With PolyWorks 2023, InnovMetric has improved the speed of data transfer to Excel while removing previous limitations in terms of the number of dimensional controls, iterations, measured pieces, and operators.​

Production phase
PolyWorks 2023 offers major evolutions to manage data from production lines and resolve manufacturing issues faster:

• Customers can now store up to one million pieces sampled from a production line within a single inspection project;​
• Operators can monitor the production’s dimensional trends at a glance by displaying hundreds of charts at once within the PolyWorks|DataLoop Web Interface;​
• PolyWorks|DataLoop users can now automatically find the root causes of issues by performing statistical analyses of association, identifying the factors that impact production quality, and reviewing results presented in plain language with clear graphical aids.

Data management
The PolyWorks|DataLoop data management solution stores 3D measurement data on central servers and digitally interconnects all the people that capture or need access to 3D measurement information. With version 2023, InnovMetric has simplified the deployment of PolyWorks|DataLoop:

• InnovMetric now offers templates to install, configure, and start its data management solution on the Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS cloud infrastructure in less than 15 minutes;​
• PolyWorks|DataLoop now supports Azure AD and the SAML 2.0 authentication protocol to interconnect with corporate identity servers.
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PolyWorks|Inspector is a universal 3D dimensional analysis and quality control software solution to control tool and part dimensions, diagnose and prevent manufacturing and assembly issues, guide assembly building through real-time measurements, and oversee the quality of assembled products by using portable metrology devices and co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs). PolyWorks|Modeler is a reverse engineering solution that allows the extracting of optimal CAD entities from polygonal models of digitized parts to serve as the starting point in the CAD modelling solution.

Charlie Wallis, Co-Director of Industrial Metrology at Renishaw, commented, “This agreement now gives us the ability to offer this highly respected third-party software suite, which complements our own MODUS metrology software.”

He continued, “This means that more companies will have access to Renishaw’s advanced inspection technologies, including the REVO® 5-axis measuring system and the Equator flexible gauging system, whilst also benefitting from the worldwide support networks of both organisations.”

“With help from Renishaw, we have invested considerable efforts into bringing our assisted CMM sequencing and collision avoidance and analysis technologies onto Renishaw controllers,” said Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric Software. “As we plan to keep integrating Renishaw’s innovative 3D metrology hardware, it is motivating for our troops to also bring the cooperation to a commercial level.”

InnovMetric Software Inc., the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions, proudly announced today that worldwide demand for PolyWorks® in fiscal year 2016 (ending March 31, 2017) led to a 20% global sales revenue increase compared to the previous fiscal year. This growth was fueled by all-time record sales of 3300 new licenses of PolyWorks.

The PolyWorks sales growth in the three largest Asian markets, China, Japan, and India, has reached an impressive 35%. Moreover, PolyWorks support/maintenance contract sales in North America and in Western European countries have also significantly increased, by 30% and 40% respectively.

“2016 represented a defining moment in our company’s history: we achieved our 2006 vision of delivering a universal 3D metrology software platform by unifying the worlds of portable metrology and CNC CMMs. Although an impressive achievement in itself, what truly made PolyWorks 2016 a milestone in the metrology industry is the fact that it delivered a truly universal 3D metrology workflow. Portable metrology and CNC CMM operators were now able to define and execute their measurement plans, and review the measurement results, using the same tools and methods within a single software module,” said Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric. “Commercially, it was also a transition year, as our large manufacturing OEM customers needed to assess all the cost-reduction opportunities brought by a universal platform before embracing our unique vision. The remarkable growth in license and support/maintenance sales worldwide shows that PolyWorks 2016 is gaining acceptance and is starting to take root. This is exciting news that should lead to major sales opportunities in FY2017 as we prepare to celebrate the sale of the 20,000th PolyWorks license in June.”

QUEBEC, Canada, Apr 20, 2017 – InnovMetric Software Inc., the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions, today launched PolyWorks 2017, the latest release of the company’s universal 3D metrology software platform. PolyWorks 2017 delivers a new control-centric reviewing workflow – a key upgrade for all portable metrology and CNC CMM measurement specialists that need to share large metrology projects, containing hundreds of dimensional and GD&T controls, with colleagues, customers, and suppliers. It also provides a major technology upgrade for large-volume metrology applications, and a unique approach to real-time collision analysis for more efficient CNC CMM project setups.

Control-centric reviewing workflow

“Because they provide invaluable feedback on manufactured parts and on the performance of the manufacturing process, 3D measurements must be efficiently planned and executed by measurement specialists. Then, the results have to be thoroughly reviewed by manufacturing specialists to make informed engineering decisions. With 3D inspection projects designed for planning and executing measurements, time-consuming manipulations are required when sharing measurement results using standard 2D reports. For reviewers, interpreting results found in static tables and snapshots within extensive reports can be challenging, frustrating, and inefficient. Oftentimes, this traditional approach requires back-and-forth communication with measurement specialists to extract additional information from the 3D inspection project,” said Marc Soucy, president of InnovMetric. “With the new dimensional-control-centric approach in PolyWorks 2017, the PolyWorks|Inspector 3D metrology project is the report! By enabling measurement specialists to communicate results directly in 3D, considerable productivity gains are guaranteed for our customers. PolyWorks 2017 also empowers reviewers to investigate measurement results contextually in 3D with dynamic navigation tools.”

Using the new Control Reviewer in PolyWorks|Inspector or in the free PolyWorks|Viewer, measurement specialists and manufacturing specialists can now:

• Access a global list of dimensional controls sorted by characteristic index, making it the ideal tool to prepare first-article inspection reports.
• Add custom controls to the global list of controls; for example, those measured using manual gauges.
• Easily split an inspection project into small and logical groups of controls called Control Views.
• Tie individual controls to specific data alignments and coordinate systems, enabling multicontextual Control Views.
• Search, sort, and filter controls to highlight critical results.
• Display control views automatically in 3D with the right point of view.
• Generate formatted reports automatically.

Major technology upgrade for large-volume metrology applications

InnovMetric is proud to release its most significant technology enhancements for customers who need to assemble and inspect large structures such as those found in the aerospace, shipyard, and energy industries. Users can now:

• Predefine and configure a list of laser tracker devices, and connect to multiple trackers simultaneously. With PolyWorks 2017, to guide assembly building in real time, switch the active tracker instantaneously and feed measured reflector positions to digital readouts.
• Align point-to-object using a powerful technique that aligns points to different geometrical characteristics of matched objects (such as center points, axes, or surfaces) and control the alignment direction, weight, and participation to the scaling factor computation for each pair of matched geometries.
• Probe surface features before their nominal components are defined or the part is aligned to the CAD model.

Real-time collision analysis for more efficient CNC CMM project setups

Measurement specialists who define probing and laser scanning paths on CNC CMMs now have access to a collision analysis engine that detects potential tool collisions with the part or the fixtures, and provides visual feedback on problematic tool paths in the Sequence Editor and the 3D Scene.

Thanks to two major innovations, the PolyWorks collision analysis approach stands out from competing CMM software products:

• PolyWorks collision analysis is carried out in real time while the measurement sequence is created or edited, such as when new measurement objects are added to a sequence. This allows operators to immediately fix problematic tool paths and avoid accumulating issues.
• PolyWorks collision analysis is performed both offline and online, and warns users about potential collisions even when they launch a measurement operation outside of the Sequence Editor. Traditionally, this feature is offered solely as an offline functionality in other software.

InnovMetric Software Inc., the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions, today announced it will hold the 2017 edition of its annual PolyWorks Conference USA from April 19 through April 20 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan. At this conference, metrology professionals from across North America will discover new and innovative ways to work smarter with PolyWorks^® and leverage 3D metrology data to optimize engineering and manufacturing processes.

“This conference represents a unique opportunity for all metrology professionals to learn how the new 2017 release of PolyWorks will play a key role in increasing their productivity and maximizing the benefits of their 3D measurement technologies,” said Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric.

PolyWorks Conference USA|2017 will feature:

• The launch of PolyWorks 2017 by Marc Soucy, PhD, President of InnovMetric, and by the product management team.
• Technical sessions, presented by PolyWorks experts, on all the new features and enhancements to help metrology professionals improve their 3D measurement and inspection processes.
• The ever-popular Doctor’s Office, where conference goers book one-on-one appointments with PolyWorks experts to tackle specific measurement challenges and learn how to optimize their use of PolyWorks tools.
• Guest speakers, from major automotive and aerospace manufacturers, will share compelling case studies on how their organization has used PolyWorks to achieve impressive gains in their manufacturing processes.
• InnovMetric hardware and service partners will showcase their latest 3D metrology measurement devices, accessories, and services.
• Social activities to connect with hundreds of users and grow your professional network.

InnovMetric Software Inc., the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions, proudly announces that it has launched PolyWorks Europa, a new European subsidiary, to promote the PolyWorks® Universal 3D Metrology Software Platform in the industrial manufacturing industry in France, Italy, and Spain.

PolyWorks Europa will market PolyWorks to the region’s various manufacturing VIP accounts that want to standardize their 3D metrology operations on a single software platform. It will also supply high-end services to PolyWorks customers, including technical support, training, metrology process consulting, and software customization through macro programming.

In addition, PolyWorks Europa will support the sales efforts of InnovMetric’s local 3D metrology hardware partners, and provide technical support and training services to their customers.

Tell us more about PolyWorks Conference India.
We organize this event every year to inform our customers about the latest developments in 3D metrology and about our company.

We also conduct case study sessions at these events where user of PolyWorks can talk about their experience with potential users. This way, customers get to know about the benefits from a user’s perspective.

This event is all about sharing all the latest information related to 3D metrology and our flagship product PolyWorks.

You launched PolyWorks 2016 at the event. Please tell us how is it different from the previous version?
It’s a historic release for us. We had a vision and the slogan of PolyWorks stands by it – “The universal 3D metrology software platform”. Up to 2016 our product was truly universal for portable metrology but we wanted it to be 100% universal, now the new PolyWorks 2016 has made it possible. It has been able to integrate CNC-CMMs with portable metrology. Now, PolyWorks is truly universal in terms of portable metrology and CNC-CMMs both. All 3D metrology measuring equipment now works with PolyWorks. What makes it even more special is that portable metrology and CNC-CMMs are operated exactly in the same manner.

Tell us something about InnovMetric…
InnovMetric is the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions. We are headquartered in Canada and have subsidiaries and joint ventures around the world. We have over 250+ employees around the world. We have about 150 employees in Canada and about 75 of them are developers, 25 of them are application specialists and just 50 for sales, marketing and administration. This is a proof of how focused we are towards technology.

How has your journey in India been?
We believe in the philosophy that in order to serve our customer best, we have to be local. Ten years ago the company started establishing subsidiaries with an aim to be able to provide technical support locally to our customers who were purchasing from Canada. By establishing subsidiaries our primary goal was to provide technical support to our existing customers locally. We provided technical support in local language according to the local time, thus developing the market.

Also, we were well aware of India’s growth in terms of the manufacturing sector so we wanted to be here and provide our technical capability. Around 85% of our customers come from automotive and aerospace industry, we address primarily OEMs and tier I suppliers.

Why it is not called InnovMetric India?
If you see, people know PolyWorks more than InnovMetric Software; the product has carved a place for itself in the market. So we decided to name the Indian subsidiary PolyWorks India.

Which is your most popular product? Is it inspection software or reverse engineering software?
Our most popular software is inspection software, PolyWorks|Inspector. This software can be used for any type of mechanical part manufacturing. PolyWorks|Modeler, our Reverse Engineering software is our second most popular product.  In the Indian market we initially witnessed a huge demand for Reverse Engineering but later it shifted to inspection.

What are the key benefits of 3D metrology technology?
The most obvious benefit is that you can see results right away and get a better understanding of your manufacturing process. It allows you to see errors and problems much faster and take better decisions about how to correct the issues. So it’s not only helping to identify the problem areas but also helping to find ways to solve them.

Besides aerospace and automotive what are the other industries that you serve?
We serve customers from consumer goods, energy and power generation. Most of our customers are from aerospace and automotive but we are quite active in the above mentioned sectors as well.

How is the response from India about 3D metrology?
I think a lot of Indian companies are looking for solution that can help them speed up their manufacturing process and reduce the cost of the product. In India labour is also not very expensive, so the main issue here is quality. The goal for Indian companies is to extract the data from 3D metrology technology, which is something they cannot have right now with manpower. Although the technology might seem a little expensive in the beginning, it will be useful in the long run in terms of reducing the cost and enhancing the quality.

Do you provide any training to engineering students?
We do provide training to college students and our customers. We also invite them and inform them about the latest developments in the technology. Also, once the customer buys our product we provide training to them on their shop floor.

What are your future plans for India?
We will encourage adoption of the technology and our PolyWorks products. In India the 3D metrology or high end inspection market is still untapped; people are not as exposed to this technology as much as they are exposed to CNC milling, CNC grinding and other machining technologies. We want to spread awareness about the 3D metrology products and its importance.