Hexagon updates PULSE for CMM environment monitoring
Summary
Hexagon has released an update to its PULSE system, designed to monitor environmental conditions in CMM (coordinate measuring machine) inspection environments. The system tracks five critical parameters: temperature, humidity, vibration, shock, and probe deflection on the shop floor. This targets a longstanding challenge in precision metrology, where ambient conditions directly affect dimensional measurement accuracy.
Why It Matters
Environmental variation is one of the most underappreciated sources of measurement uncertainty in shop-floor inspection. A 1°C temperature swing can introduce measurable dimensional error in both the workpiece and the CMM's granite surface plate or linear scales, with steel expanding roughly 11.7 micrometers per meter per degree Celsius. By continuously logging temperature, humidity, vibration, and shock alongside probe deflection data, PULSE gives quality engineers a traceable record that can distinguish genuine part non-conformance from measurement system error — a critical distinction in aerospace, automotive, and medical device manufacturing where gauge R&R requirements are strict. The practical implication is reduced false rejects, stronger measurement system analysis (MSA) documentation for IATF 16949 or AS9100 audits, and the ability to correlate production anomalies with environmental events rather than chasing phantom process variation.