Eight years after the launch of the first Romer Absolute Arm, Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has unveiled its new Absolute Arm range (www.HexagonMI.com).

A ‘ground up’ redesign has focused on improved usability and versatility, without compromising on speed and accuracy.

A ‘stand-out’ feature of the new Absolute Arm is the design of its modular wrist, which allows both the RS5 laser scanner and the pistol grip to be removed, thereby allowing easy probing in tight spaces.

When re-attached for laser scanning applications, various grip sizes are available to ensure a perfect fit for every user.

Furthermore, the new wrist now features a display screen that allows the viewing of measurement results, profile switching and calibration at the point of measurement — reducing the time spent switching attention between the arm and its control computer.

Anthony Vianna, product manager for the Absolute Arm range, said: “Over the last eight years, we have received a lot of positive and constructive customer feedback; hopefully, people will see how this has informed our design.

"Many customers told us they needed to measure in smaller and smaller spaces, like cavities or inside complex fixtures, and it was this feedback that prompted us to create this latest compact scanning tool.

"We examined everything about the arm: how people were using it; how users measure different parts; how they move their arm around their facility; how the arm communicates with them; and how to make the arm more serviceable.”

This new Absolute Arm range retains all the features of the previous generation, including absolute encoders, low-friction rotating grips, counterweight system that ensures easy movement and measurement, and the ability to measure at full speed without a reduction in accuracy.

The new Absolute Arm models are also available in a six-axis version for dedicated probing applications. Within this category is the new Absolute Arm Compact, which offers an accuracy to within 6µm.