Digitisers produce CAD data from 3D objects

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 18, 2002

Rathnew Scientific is a new Irish company specifically set up to market and provide support throughout Ireland for Renishaw's sophisticated digitising equipment and software.

Rathnew Scientific is a new Irish company specifically set up to market and provide support throughout Ireland for Renishaw's sophisticated digitising equipment and software.

Although a new company, Managing Director Andrew Galt is no stranger to Renishaw's extensive range of metrology systems.

He was previously employed by Renishaw for nearly 10 years before moving to Ireland.

Primarily concentrating on digitising equipment sales, the company is also able to offer services such as subcontract digitising, CADCAM services and CNC machine tool error checking and calibration.

There are three main hardware systems, one is a dedicated machine, the other two are systems that can be retrofitted to existing CNC milling machines.

All systems use analogue contact probes, and the Cyclone has a noncontact laser probe option.

Once in operation all systems are fully automatic and have features that mean users can safely leave the machine to run unmanned.

All systems run under the same Renishaw Tracecut software.

This provides the user interface to set up digitising parameters, manipulate the data, and create an output.

The output can be either a variety of CAD formats, or using the powerful CAM features within Tracecut, a CNC program for any type of controller.

Users can also measure the dimensions of finished components and print out inspection reports.

Users can also choose to have the Tracesurf module to create IGES CAD surfaces from digitised data.

The Cyclone is a dedicated digitising and measuring machine.

It has a standard working envelope of 600 x 500 x 400mm (x, y, z) and is particularly suited to fine detail work.

The Cyclone can use either a contact analogue probe or a laser noncontact probe.

It can be used in an office or workshop environment.

It has many different applications and currently there are over 1500 machines installed worldwide employed on such diverse industries as footwear, jewellery, turbine blades, moulds and dies, automotives, coins and medals.

Renscan is an enhanced version of the popular Retroscan system and can be retrofitted to a CNC milling machine.

This means that users can digitise patterns that are as big as the axis travels of the machine tool.

Once fitted users can easily switch between digitising and machining, simply by exchanging the spindle mounted probe for a cutting tool.

The digitised data is not specific to the CNC; this means users can digitise on one machine and create a CNC programme for another.

Retroscan is an "entry-level" system that can be retrofitted to a CNC milling machine.

It is an ideal system for occasional digitising requirements.

The tool shape, diameter and machining path can be totally independent of the stylus diameter and scan path used for digitising.

Like all Renishaw digitising systems it uses the same Tracecut software, which means it has the same software functionality as the higher-level systems.

Tracecut is much more than just a data capture system.

It provides the user interface for setting up digitising parameters and enables users to manipulate data then create a CNC programme or CAD output.

It also features a dimensioning module that gives you the ability to measure components and print out an inspection report.

There are also other application specific modules for turbine blade refurbishment and IGES surface generation.

Tracecut enables users to define planes and align axes and has a full range of datum functions; these enable users to set up jobs rapidly and easily without the need for complex fixtures.

(This was Engineeringtalk's Top Story on 15 February 2002).