250th Hawk system shipped

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Oct 8, 2004

Vision Engineering has now shipped the 250th Hawk non-contact measuring system. The Hawk was introduced in 2003 as the new flag-ship metrology product.

The Hawk family, introduced in 2003 as the new flag-ship metrology product, includes a range of product options from manual 2-axis systems through to fully automatic precision 3-axis measuring platforms.

The 250th Hawk to be shipped from Vision Engineering marks a major milestone in the life of this innovative new metrology system.

Hawk is the only non-contact measuring system that allows a user to combine a true optical display with camera based Video Edge Detection (VED).

Hawk has is used in an enormous range of industrial applications since the first product left Vision Engineering in early 2003.

For example, Hawk is currently being operated in the aerospace component and medical device sectors as well as being used to measure identity cards and formula one race engine components.

Hawk is available in a range of configurations from a low cost, 2-axis compact measuring system through to the fully automated 3-axis measuring platform.

This allows the user to choose the features that are important in their application, without paying for unnecessary options.

For example, the basic Hawk is combined with a QC200 microprocessor, perfect for straightforward metrology tasks that require a simple PASS/FAIL result.

The more capable, higher accuracy models use the QC5000 software package which allows for advanced measuring and reporting options, including fitting and creation of CAD files.

Most of the 250 applications currently being solved using the Hawk involve a challenging component that is difficult to gauge using alternative techniques.

The clarity of the optical image provided by Hawk allows an operator to clearly define an edge or feature, where video or shadowgraph technology would struggle.

Examples to date include the gauging of transparent film layers, measurement of internal broached features in a machined connector and measurement of black plastic components used within an automotive brake assembly.