PowerInspect is a powerful application for rapidly creating repeatable inspections for parts and tools.
PowerInspect supports a wide range of measuring options, from arms and scanners, to CMMs and OMV machines, and includes a full geometric package, which can be used to inspect parts with or without a CAD model.
Choosing what to inspect
In PowerInspect, an inspection sequence specifies the features to be measured and the order of inspection. You can add features to the inspection sequence by picking them from a CAD model, or by selecting them from the ribbon bar. You can measure the following types of feature:
- Surfaces
- Edges
- Sections
- Geometry, including 2D features, such as circles, and 3D features, such as cones
You can also create inspection sequences by importing OMV results files. This includes results files where the probe paths are generated in Autodesk® PowerMill.
Aligning the part
PowerInspect supports a wide variety of alignment methods to accurately map the manufactured part to the CAD model, including Geometric PLP, RPS (Reference Point System), Best Fit From Points, and Three Spheres. It also includes a Best Fit feature, enabling you to refine alignments by comparing measured groups to nominals extracted from the model, and from file alignment enabling you to reload previously created alignments when you need to regularly check production samples as part of your quality assurance process.
Performing the inspection
You can measure an inspection sequences manually, by running it under computer control, or by exporting it as an NC Program to be run on a machine tool. When you have inspected a feature, PowerInspect can display measurements and individual inspection points in the CAD view. Customizable colour-coding enables you to quickly identify items that are out-of-tolerance, and the Info tab provides full details of individual item in the inspection sequence. If you want to inspect several examples of the same part, Measures enable you to save all the results in one document.
Viewing your results
PowerInspect includes several ways to view your results when the measurements are made. Individual points can be displayed on the model, you can label features with specific measurements, and you can see a detailed breakdown of your measurements in a customizable HTML report. If you have specified tolerances, each result can be colour-coded to indicate whether it is within, above, or below tolerance.
You can also create printable reports using a PDF generator and export them to Microsoft Excel for further analysis.