For Immediate Release: June 6, 2005

PC-DMIS Single Touch Interface (STI+) - Shop Floor Measurement Made Easy

North Kingstown, Rhode Island:  Wilcox Associates, a Hexagon Metrology® Company has announced the availability of STI+ for PC-DMIS®. This add-on module to PC-DMIS software makes it easy for shop floor personnel to check parts without with becoming CMM (Coordinate Measurement Machine) experts.  With a few mouse clicks, STI+ guides users through part setup and measurement and then produces concise, meaningful reports for immediate action.  STI+ combines sophisticated user interface technologies originally developed by Sheffield Measurement® (a Hexagon Metrology company) with the powerful part programming and evaluation capabilities of PC-DMIS, the world’s best selling CMM software.

STI+ makes the CMM an attractive alternative to functional gaging on the shop floor.  STI+ allows users to run pre-programmed inspections and review reports without any direct interaction with the underlying PC-DMIS software.  Users select the part to inspect by picking it from a graphical list.  The software shows a picture of how to fixture and align the part.  Then the inspection proceeds automatically, followed by graphical reports that show features of interest and if they are in or out of specification.  By isolating users who just need to inspect parts from the underlying programming software, it makes machine operation straightforward and easy.  The end product is a measurement device that’s as simple to use as a go/no go dedicated gage with the flexibility and analytical capabilities of a sophisticated measurement machine. 

Building STI+ screens is similar to developing a PowerPoint® presentation.  The STI designer creates graphical pages and templates, using elements such as buttons, digital photos, clipart, text and shapes.  A page is created for each step in the inspection process, from part setup to inspection to reporting.  Hierarchical menus can be created to run whole libraries of part programs from a single interface. Since STI+ interfaces are created to run part programs, interfaces can be created for existing part programs, so STI+ can be a useful add-on for any PC-DMIS user.  In addition, because of this “template-based” design approach, developing an STI+ takes neither special programming skills nor knowledge of a high-level programming language. 

With nearly 20,000 seats worldwide, PC-DMIS is the leading measurement software for CMMs.  PC-DMIS is not only standard on Hexagon Metrology equipment but it is also available as an upgrade for other manufacturers’ machines.

PC-DMIS is the foundation of Wilcox Associates’ Enterprise Metrology Solutions (EMS).  EMS is a family of software products aimed at seamlessly linking design and production making it possible to produce parts better and faster than ever before.  PC-DMIS and STI+ are integral parts of the EMS suite.

The Hexagon Metrology group of Hexagon AB (Sweden) is the world’s largest manufacturer of precision dimensional measurement equipment and software, with ten manufacturing facilities on four continents and more than forty sales and support locations worldwide.  Hexagon’s brands include Brown & Sharpe, CE Johansson, CIMCORE, DEA, Leitz, PC-DMIS, ROMER, Sheffield and TESA.  More information can be found at www.hexagon.se

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