On the finish of April, InnovMetric hosted its PolyWorks Convention Stay 2025 occasion. The corporate mentioned its PolyWorks Digital Thread resolution for dimensional inspection, and revealed six new key functionalities of PolyWorks|Inspector. Following the PolyWorks Convention Stay 2025, Manufacturing High quality sat down with Marc Soucy, PhD, President and Co-Founding father of InnovMetric to debate the teachings the corporate has realized because it celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, the alternatives and challenges related to a digital thread, and areas of future innovation for PolyWorks Digital Thread and PolyWorks|Inspector.
The advantages of adopting a digital thread
High quality management groups are answerable for producing essential data for a lot of departments inside manufacturing, resembling inspection tasks, dimensional inspection studies, and 3D measurement outcomes. Typically delivered by way of handbook file exports and copies, this data could trigger points like guaranteeing a single supply of reality and defending delicate knowledge from human error and inconsistencies.
As an alternative, firms can examine adopting digital thread applied sciences, which permit 3D measurement knowledge to be delivered digitally to all stakeholders inside the organisation. A digital thread works to mix a number of software program functions to create an interconnected house that permits knowledge to stream digitally. To deploy a digital thread for 3D measurements, a common metrology software program platform, knowledge administration on a central server, and digital connectors are required. The PolyWorks Digital Thread could be seen demonstrating this beneath:
If you happen to want to find out how the PolyWorks Digital Thread works, and the important thing advantages of adopting the answer, you may compensate for the keynote presentation of the PolyWorks Convention Stay 2025 which delves into these subjects additional.
Observe-up Q&A with Marc Soucy
RT: What are the important thing classes InnovMetric has learnt in its 30 years of supporting producers and their high quality management processes?
MS: For over 15 years, our relentless deal with advancing level cloud know-how and enhancing our PolyWorks common metrology software program platform has pushed us to ship progressive instruments, improved user-friendliness, and superior efficiency—constantly assembly and exceeding our prospects’ expectations. Nevertheless, sustaining the identical tempo of innovation is more and more difficult with out conducting a radical evaluation of the whole inspection course of, each upstream and downstream of metrology. Points referring to knowledge sharing, traceability, and efficiency, have been uncovered, all stemming from handbook file transfers. We’re satisfied that deploying a digital thread for dimensional inspection is the important thing for manufacturing organisations to completely unlock the potential of their 3D measurement applied sciences.
RT: Manually triggered file alternate can result in the sharing of out-of-date or incomplete data, leading to errors, time loss, and course of inefficiencies. The digital thread is a transparent resolution to this challenge, however does it signify any new challenges?
MS: The involvement of IT groups is crucial for centralised knowledge administration when implementing a digital thread. This may occasionally pose challenges for organisations with advanced tech environments, however the advantages are substantial. Moreover, a digital thread optimises collaboration by breaking down silos between departments and remodeling processes, nonetheless, there could also be resistance to alter. To beat these hurdles, actively involving and educating colleagues from all departments who will profit from the digital thread is essential.
RT: Adopting the digital thread resolution will get rid of handbook file exchanges. However may there be a setting the place handbook exchanges could have to happen? Maybe as a consequence of technological errors?
MS: Often, handbook file transfers should be essential to enter knowledge into PolyWorks. For instance, if a knowledge administration server has been carried out however lacks a digital connector required for an enterprise’s Product Lifecycle Administration (PLM) system, CAD fashions will should be imported manually to organize inspection tasks. Equally, when utilizing a third-party metrology software program to measure with a CMM or a robot-based automated scanning resolution, the measurements must be exported on disk earlier than importing them into PolyWorks.
RT: Except for timesaving, are there another key advantages of adopting a digital thread?
MS: Dimensional inspection knowledge is effective as a result of it’s actionable. The insightful suggestions derived from measurements underpins essential choices that impression a number of sides of engineering and manufacturing processes. Making certain the accuracy of this knowledge is thus instrumental for dependable decision-making. The simplest method to obtain that is by deploying a digital thread for dimensional inspection that:
- Shops the dimensional inspection data obtained from all measurements for so long as wanted.
- Ensures a single supply of reality by delivering measurement data digitally.
- Controls who can entry the information and specifies permissible motion.
RT: High quality management groups which have adopted the PolyWorks digital thread have reported “that they will do twice as a lot work with the identical group.” May the answer assist with the trade’s labour and ability scarcity?
MS: Actually, and that is evidenced by the observations of quite a few purchasers we have now assisted with the evaluation of their return on funding (ROI). Our calculations point out that the ROI is at the least ten occasions larger than the price of deploying the PolyWorks digital thread, together with each {hardware} and software program bills. This accounts for twice the measurement capability in comparison with earlier capabilities.
RT: Is the digital thread know-how as accessible for small-to-medium-sized companies as it’s for big producers?
MS: Completely. Actually, our knowledge administration and digital connectivity resolution, PolyWorks|DataLoop, is rising in recognition amongst small-to-medium-sized companies, outpacing adoption by bigger producers. Smaller organisations are likely to make choices extra swiftly and implement them with larger ease. Moreover, the PolyWorks pricing mannequin is designed to accommodate firms of all sizes. We strongly advocate for digital transformation that’s accessible to all.
RT: PolyWorks already presents 10 digital connectors. Are there any areas the place this vary may increase? And what customers would profit most from Excessive QA’s new digital connectors?
MS: The quickly rising use of 3D measurement presents quite a few alternatives that surpass the capacities of a single firm. Consequently, we have now began collaborating with numerous software program firms, notably in product and course of engineering simulation modelling, high quality administration, and technical knowledge packages. These partnerships intention to speed up the digitalisation of producing processes by interconnecting our respective platforms.
In the case of Excessive QA, their PolyWorks digital thread connector will profit metrologists who have to switch invoice of traits and dimensional necessities from 2D drawings to PolyWorks|Inspector, notably those that work within the discipline of precision machining.
RT: Calls for surrounding high quality management enhancements and progressive merchandise with advanced geometries have been key issues for PolyWorks|Inspector 2025. What long-term developments may affect the answer’s growth sooner or later?
MS: All industries at the moment are grappling with the problem of accelerating their time to market. Firms are searching for applied sciences that may allow them to launch merchandise 25% and even 50% sooner than earlier than. We consider that streamlining dimensional inspection processes, together with engineering simulation modelling, is instrumental in reaching this purpose.
If you happen to missed InnovMetric’s PolyWorks Convention Stay 2025, you may watch the occasion on demand and dive additional into the world of digital threads.
