CMM operators tend to operate only CMMs while portable metrology operators typically specialize in one or two types of portable metrology equipment, creating team silos that restrict mobility and limit teamwork efficiency.When relying on multiple software programs, multiple workflows must be mastered, which hinders the performance of 3D measurement teams because: Measurement projects must be duplicated and adapted for each software solution.Maintenance and software updates must be managed for each product.

Training must be provided for operators to master multiple user interfaces and workflows.It’s no surprise that the cost of measuring and the risk of error increase with the number of software products used: They may use one or two on their CMMs, typically provided by the CMM manufacturers themselves two or three for portable metrology systems, such as scanning arms, structured-light scanners, and laser trackers and one or two for their digital gauges. To this day, some companies use more than five different brands of software for 3D measurement. And so began a culture where multiple software products were required in 3D measurement labs. As a result, these early 3D measurement products were closed systems and every brand of 3D metrology hardware provided its own software.

In those days, software engineering was in its infancy, with no standard computer or operating system.

It started in the 1960s when coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) arrived in the automotive industry along with the first 3D measurement software. The invention and improvement of 3D measurement technologies over the past six decades have made it possible to manufacture increasingly sophisticated and high-quality products.

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