Page 21 - MetalForming Magazine October 2022 - FABTECH

Software for Manufacturing
CAD-to-Robot Software Enables Autonomous Welding
At IMTS 2022, Oqton showcased Oqton for Welding software that generates weld- ing-robot programs directly from CAD mod- els, reportedly within minutes. The software generates collision-free robot motions, suggests optimal welding parameters and
monitors weld quality online. This capability makes even batch-size-one economically viable, accord- ing to Oqton officials, while addressing the ongoing short- age of qualified welders through the use of simpli- fied robotic welding. And,
the software is brand-agnostic, enabling use on a variety of welding robots and cobots.
The simple, intuitive user interface (UI) allows users to upload CAD models, let the software do the work and download the robot program to begin welding. Adjust- ments can be made using the UI. To com- pensate for geometric deviations and mounting errors, Oqton automatically generates tactile sense motions and sup- ports different seam-tracking technologies. Once the robot begins welding, Oqton IoT monitors the process quality online. Users can obtain real-time alerts and reports for manual inspection or rework, which can be generated automatically by the software.
Oqton for Welding leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to suggest automatically the optimal welding parameters. And, it is trained to capture insights on your specific applications and welding processes, learning and improving over time to suggest the optimal process parameters for each specific weld. Oqton: www.oqton.com
Brand-Agnostic Offline Robot-Programming Software
At IMTS 2022, Hypertherm Associates promoted its Robotmaster offline pro- gramming software that supports a variety of robot brands. It provides, via integrated CAD/CAM functionality, simple and efficient robot programming for a variety of appli- cations such as cutting, trimming, milling, welding, spraying, polishing, sanding, grinding, deburring and more, according to Hypertherm Associates officials. Robot- master’s simple intuitive programming, noted Greg Culp, Hypertherm Associates software sales manager, to MetalForming at IMTS, has been shown to reduce pro- gramming time by as much as 75 per- cent—important given manufacturers’ challenges in attracting and retaining skilled talent.
Stated software features include a cell and tooling editor for engineering an entire robotic workcell; intelligent pathing modules
for robust trajectory creation; visualized program optimization for simplified, error- free programming; embedded technology
that seamlessly translates CAD/CAM tra- jectories to robot trajectories; external axis management for managing an entire workcell, including rails and rotaries; and process/application-specific modules that allow full user control over process-specific parameters.
Hypertherm Associates: www.hypertherm.com
18 MetalForming/October 2022
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Hexagon Acquires ETQ,
Provider of SaaS Quality Management System
Hexagon AB has acquired Mass.-based ETQ, a provider of software as a service (SaaS) for quality management; environment, health and safety; and compliance man- agement. ETQ’s SaaS quality management system (QMS) product, ETQ Reliance, enables the automating of collection and delivery of manufacturing quality-control data, nonconformance reports, customer feedback and more, providing an enterprise view of quality management across an entire product lifecycle, according to Hexagon officials. It reportedly features out-of-the-box functionality and no-code configurability, enabling users to tailor it to their unique needs and optimize business processes to achieve their quality, safety and environmental goals. ETQ Reliance also enables connectivity of quality data and processes across supply chains, bringing suppliers and customers into a single system.
The software’s data-management capabilities, driven by machine learning and artificial intelligence, make quality data fully actionable and available further upstream, thus reducing defects, scrap, rework and recalls, and enabling an autonomous feedback loop, digital information trail and cycle of continuous improvement, explain company officials.
Following the acquisition, ETQ announced a new release of its cloud-native QMS, Reliance NXG, allowing teams to create and edit Google Docs natively in Reliance. The company also launched its newest application, Quality Events, which enables a broad set of deviation-management capabilities. It provides a tool set to manage unplanned deviations and provides a process to capture all types of events and determine if further action is required.
Seamless integration between ETQ Document Control and Google Docs in this new release allows for improved collaboration on the word-processing platform, while maintaining full security and access control of the documents.
Hexagon: www.hexagon.com