Aerotech Launches New Company Focusing on Test and Measurement in Industrial Applications

Aerotech, Inc. is a Pittsburgh-based company specializing in manufacturing motion control, position, and automation systems and components. The company operates as part of the measuring, electromedical, navigational, and control instruments manufacturing industry. 

Aerotech provides its customers with gantries, actuators, spindles, motion simulators, goniometers, hexapods, and integrated granite motion systems. Recently, Aerotech announced the launch of its partner company, Peak Metrology. 

 

Peak Metrology

Peak Metrology is an Aerotech company co-located within 220,000 square feet of manufacturing and lab space in Pittsburgh. Peak Metrology helps customers choose in-house manufactured motion control and automation products for precision measurement applications.

 

Peak Metrology's logo. Image used courtesy of Peak Metrology

 

The company also provides data acquisition methods that can deliver dense point clouds with sub-micron accuracies. Peak Metrology’s goal is for customers to align data points with real-world part positions and use calibrated spatial positions for data triggering. 

In a recent news release, the President of Peak Metrology, RJ Hardt, said, “We have the knowledge, experience, and equipment to take on and solve customers’ complex surface metrology challenges, freeing them up to focus on other important work.” Hardt added, “What might be a measurement equipment burden for customers who don’t specialize in surface metrology fits perfectly within our scope.”

 

Microscopy Measurement Applications

Some of Peak Metrology’s microscopy-based offerings include part alignment, kinematic rotations, routine building tools, operator assist tools, laser scanning confocal, focus variation, white light interferometry, digital imaging-based units, and more.

The company offers other technology capabilities, including pattern projected light sources. Such sources have been developed to help improve the accuracy and speed of data capture. Customers can use pattern projected light sources wide-area micron-level measurement needs and the stitching together of data over a large area to measure form, contour, and roughness over the entirety of part surfaces.

 

Video used courtesy of Peak Metrology

 

Peak Metrology provides sensor technology in laser spot and line sensors, white light interferometric sensors, and chromatic confocal sensors. Control engineers and automation experts can also take advantage of Peak Metrology’s motion control technology to orientate complex parts to sensors and remove positioning limitations of existing measurement tools.

 

CaptureUI

Peak Metrology’s CaptureUI software application combines sensor data capture and precision motion control to create automated scan control. The application allows for scan path planning and data acquisition sequence setup. Recipe files can be saved to use again, and scans can be converted into motion commands executed on the Aerotech Automation1 motion controller. 

 

The Aerotech Automation1 motion controller. Image used courtesy of Aerotech 

 

Operator tools are available with CaptureUI and allow for loading recipe files, part alignment, start and stop measurement scans, and data export. Engineers can also analyze scan data through CaptureUI’s analysis tools (e.g., Profile Analysis, Surface Analysis, Measure to CAD, and Pass/Fail). 

The Aerotech and Peak Metrology partnership aims to provide control engineers and automation experts with products for positioning systems and surface metrology applications.