ZEISS Research & Quality Solutions has introduced ZEISS TALOS, a metrology robot system built for automated, high-volume inspection. The company says the system combines metrology-grade accuracy with robotic kinematics and achieves measurement uncertainty below 100 micrometers over a reach of 3.30 meters.
According to ZEISS, TALOS positions its sensor precisely and repeatably without external tracking systems or reference markers. That capability is intended to support reliable measurement of medium-sized and large components, including areas that conventional line-of-sight systems have difficulty reaching.
Integrated hardware for automated measurement
The metrology robot ZEISS TALOS MR and the compact blue-light sensor ZEISS TALOS AX form an integrated measurement unit. ZEISS also supplies the TALOS RT rotation table and the TALOS Safeguard safety concept as part of the system. Dr. Jan Thesing, head of the Business Unit 3D Optical Systems at ZEISS, described TALOS as a shift in automated metrology because metrological capabilities are integrated into the system while robotic speed, range and flexibility are retained, according to the company.
Single sensor for surfaces and features
ZEISS says a longstanding challenge in optical metrology has been combining fast surface measurement with precise feature measurement. The newly developed TALOS AX uses two 24-megapixel cameras to capture images at 100 Hz, or up to 200 Hz in fast scan. A 500 mm wide measurement volume and four multidirectional feature flashes are designed to allow both large-surface geometry capture for analysis and digital twins and precise measurement of features such as holes, edges, bolts and threads.
Designed for production environments
The robot and system concept are designed to withstand common production-environment influences including temperature variation, vibration and dust. Measurement tasks can be prepared offline from a CAD model, and ZEISS INSPECT automatically calculates the required measurement positions and robot paths. ZEISS says this reduces the time and effort needed to plan new tasks. One-click programming, efficient robot motion and streamlined setup are intended to raise throughput and make more efficient use of measurement capacity. ZEISS INSPECT also supports complete analyses, report generation and integration of measurement results into existing processes.
Target applications
TALOS is intended for automotive, aerospace and commercial vehicle manufacturing, both near production lines and in dedicated measurement rooms. The company lists car bodies, hang-on parts, giga-casting parts, aerostructures, jet engines, truck cabins and weld seams among the supported applications. ZEISS says high-resolution measurement data allows precise evaluation of component quality and deviations, while virtual tools can assess functional dimensions, gap sizes and flushness, such as in automotive assembly.
According to ZEISS, TALOS is intended to provide one workflow for surface and feature measurement in production-related environments.