Leica T-Mac Delivers Wireless Position Tracking for Automated ApplicationsMIAMISBURG, Ohio, March 16, 2007 - Leica Geosystems announced the Leica T-Mac device, a Tracker-Machine wireless control sensor that can be mounted on moving robots, machines, or parts whose position(s) need to be monitored in 6DoF (Degrees of Freedom) space. The Leica T-Mac works in tandem with the Leica LTD840, LTD709, and LTD706 laser trackers from Leica Geosystems' current product portfolio, as well as the existing Leica LTD800 and LTD700 laser trackers. This innovative measurement device was developed in response to a number of customers who have modified their Leica T-Probe, a wireless probing device, for use in automated inspection and metrology routines.
Leica Geosystems will begin taking orders for the Leica T-Mac this month.The Leica T-Mac operates similarly to the wireless Leica T-Probe, but is designed without a contact probe or tip. The Leica T-Mac features a special housing for easy installation, with additional reflector nests for calibration and easy orientation. Insensitive to environmental light, the Leica T-Mac offers the largest operation measurement volume of up to 30m (98ft), and a wider acceptance angle than any comparable system: pitch ± 45 degrees, yaw ± 45 degrees, roll 360 degrees.Point rate output for the device is 1,000 points per second backed by a 2 sigma length measurement accuracy of 60 microns in a measurement volume of 15m (49ft).
The Leica T-Mac incorporates acoustic process information feedback for ease-of-use, as well as visual feedback for power on, in-view and in-distance status, and for process information." Over the past few years, we have witnessed a large increase in the number of customers who need a 6DoF solution for automated tracking of the position of robots or machines," states Dr. Raimund Loser, Leica T-Mac's chief developer. "Our wireless Leica T-Probe has been adapted for automated applications by Boeing Hawker de Havilland in Australia, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Rolls Royce, and the Shanghai University. With the introduction of the Leica T-Mac, Leica Geosystems now offers a versatile, off-the-shelf solution that can be customized for specific tracking applications.
For example, an interface for precise tool exchange units like those from Sandvik Coromant can be included."
About Leica Geosystems
Leica Geosystems, a Hexagon Company, is a global supplier of comprehensive hardware and software packages for the industrial metrology market. These products integrate with popular CAD programs, various build-and-inspect tools, and reverse engineering software. Using state-of-the-art laser technology, Leica Geosystems laser trackers and theodolites make quality control, part mating, assembly and construction of large and small parts easier and more accurate than ever.
The U.S. headquarters of Leica Geosystems (metrology products division) is located at the Hexagon Metrology Precision Center in Miamisburg, Ohio.
About Hexagon Metrology
Hexagon Metrology serves the high precision measurement and inspection needs of worldwide manufacturers with its extensive line of metrology hardware, software, accessories, and customer services. The company's name-brand portfolio of quality assurance products include Brown & Sharpe, Leica Geosystems, ROMER, Sheffield, PC-DMIS, DEA, Leitz, and TESA. Hexagon Metrology has an unrivaled installed base of more than 1.5 million handheld, stationary and portable measurement devices, and over 30,000 seats of PC-DMIS metrology software. The company is a subsidiary of Hexagon Measurement Technologies, a business unit of Hexagon AB (Nacka Strand, Sweden), a publicly traded company (Stockholm:HEXAB).
The Hexagon group consists of nearly 8,200 employees located in 30 countries.
