What's Next in Portable Metrology?

By DE Editors

The Leica Absolute Tracker.

Leica Geosystems’ (Miamisburg,OH) fifth-generation laser tracker, the new Leica Absolute Tracker, offers scaled-up features in a scaled-down, sleek housing. The product introduces advances in thermal stability and volumetric accuracy, accelerated start-up times, speed improvements, and a maintenance-free internal design, while the new housing allows for portability and ease of handling on the factory floor.

New advances in thermal stability top off the enhancement list. The Absolute Tracker’s heat-emitting components are mounted far from the head, and sensor temperature is continually regulated. The temperature inside the new sensor varies by less than 1 degree Celsius. This improvement translates into continuous “on-spec” operation with no need for intermediate compensation routines. Leica Geosystems’ laser trackers typically need calibration once a year, even if they are moved around on-site daily.

The strengths of two measurement principles are combined in an absolute distance meter (ADM) and interferometer (IFM). The Absolute Interferometer’s (AIFM) technology (patent pending) features high-accuracy measurements in all operating conditions, with multiple built-in redundancies that guarantee superb accuracies throughout the measurement volume. The new AIFM is 15 times faster than the previous model, with integration time down to 0.2 seconds.

The Absolute Tracker’s compact size, at 2-ft. tall and 48 lbs, allows one person to safely operate and maneuver the sensor and stand. The laser tracker is easily transported from one site to another in an average station wagon. The system’s overall robust design and end-to-end reliability stand up to tough industrial environments. The Absolute Tracker’s typical warm-up time is six minutes from a cold start—three minutes from a warm start.

The Leica Absolute Tracker product line has three offerings: the top-of-the-line Leica AT901-LR, the Leica AT901-MR midrange laser tracker, and the Leica AT901-Basic entry-level laser tracker. A new redesigned controller unit controls all models, with backward compatibility to every laser tracker Leica Geosystems has ever made. The majority of laser trackers produced by the company in the past 17 years are still in service, including serial number 0001.

Leica Geosystems portable metrology solutions and industrial measurement systems are used for a wide range of industrial metrology applications in aerospace, automotive, power generation, shipbuilding, and general engineering. Leica Geosystems’ metrology products is located at the Hexagon Metrology Precision Center in Miamisburg, OH.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.