Implementing non‐contact digitisation techniques within the mechanical design process

The introduction of time compression technologies into the modern mechanical design process is now well established. Most major automotive and aerospace companies have invested, as have their Tier 1 suppliers. It has been identified that a bottleneck affecting all aspects of the cycle is the measurement process. In this paper we shall discuss potential benefits of adopting non‐contact techniques. In section 1 we discuss the need for rapid physical measurement within the context of the mechanical design process. The processes required for surface creation and inspection are discussed in Section 2 with regard to contact and non‐contact measurement. Section 3 reviews the operating principles of commercially available non‐contact systems. Finally Section 4 discusses practical issues relating to the implementation and use of non‐contact systems in the manufacturing environment.