Hexagon Metrology Inc. now offers the Universal Jogbox, a new handheld input device for Brown & Sharpe and Sheffield branded Coordinate Measurement Machines (CMMs) shipped from the North Kingstown, RI factory.
Incorporating a modern touch screen interface with an ergonomic design and soft-touch materials, the Universal Job Box was designed first and foremost to be extremely tough, designed to withstand the rigors of industrial use with improved resistance to drops and similar shocks
“Not only does the Universal Jogbox offer improved reliability and robustness, but we’ve also included many new features that will streamline the programming and operation of our Brown & Sharpe and Sheffield branded CMMs,” says Eric Bennett Hexagon Metrology product manager. “From the layout of the touch screen interface to the new interaction features with our PC-DMIS measurement software, we’ve taken into consideration how our customers use the CMM and designed a handheld device that optimizes the workflow.
The Universal Jogbox uses a combination of traditional mechanical “hard” buttons, dials, and a joystick along with an industrial color touch screen for “soft”, contextual input and output. Traditional mechanical inputs are ideal for speed control and machine movement – these controls are by necessity always available to the user
The touch screen on the other hand is highly configurable. For instance, CMM operators may wear gloves to avoid transferring heat and oil from their hands onto the parts being measured. A special screen accommodates gloved hand operation with widely spaced buttons
The new touch screen controls employ universal symbology for enhanced usability across many languages. For users that prefer the button layout of the existing Brown & Sharpe or Sheffield joysticks, a touch screen layout is available that duplicates the old-style button types and labels
An upgrade version of the Universal Jogbox is offered with features to interact directly with PC-DMIS software, avoiding the need to move back and forth between the CMM and computer screen and keyboard. For instance, many PC-DMIS operator prompts can be viewed and answered directly from the Universal Jogbox
For CMMs that include an automatic indexing probe head, the probe heads index angles can be modified directly from the hand held device. The new jogbox is immediately available with new machine shipments from Rhode Island and as a replacement upgrade for old style jogboxes for most late model Brown & Sharpe and Sheffield CMMs.
www.brownandsharpe.com
www.sheffieldmeasurement.com
www.hexagonmetrology.us
