Delta Sigma-LPT Partnership Offers Powerful Projection Combo
DSC projectors are high-powered with five different interchangeable lens options.
Things are moving faster than ever in the world of complex manufacturing. Aerospace and other industries that entail large-scale assembly operations are ramping up their production rates. Manufacturers seek tools that let them build products on their assembly lines faster, with consistent high quality and less rework. But do such tools exist?
They do now, thanks to a powerful new dual-technology combination: optical projection, offered by Delta Sigma Company’s (DSC) ProjectionWorks, and laser projection, provided by Laser Projection Technologies (LPT). DSC and LPT have entered a technology partnership to provide a unified solution that combines the benefits of wide-area, no-flicker optical projection with highly detailed laser projection in complex production operations. But just who are DSC and LPT, and how can the combined optical-laser projection solution improve your company’s complex assembly applications?
Better accuracy, better results
DSC specializes in hardware and software systems, and tools that automate large, complex manufacturing and assembly processes that demand precision. These products include
- the ProjectionWorks family — AssemblyWorks, PaintWorks, HarnessWorks (scheduled for release in Q4 2014), and supporting hardware products;
- the FlexMate automated mate tooling system;
- the Automated Fastener Installation System (AFIS); and
- systems for numerous engineer-to-order (ETO) projects.
LPT is a manufacturer of fast, high-accuracy laser projection systems and 3D templating systems for advanced manufacturing applications.
Together, the two companies are combining the capabilities of LPT’s laser projection with DSC’s AssemblyWorks and PaintWorks projected-work and detailed paint-masking packages. Customers will benefit from the new 3D optical projection and laser projection technologies that will result from the partnership. Customers can purchase the dual-technology solution from DSC or LPT. (Customers can also purchase the laser projection and optical projection products separately from either company.)
The partnership will help introduce companies with complex assembly operations to DSC’s optical projection technology. DSC’s CEO Roger Richardson notes that whereas laser projection is an accepted technology for such operations, laser-based solutions don’t have all the advantages of optical-projection products such as ProjectionWorks.
“A laser projector is effectively a highly accurate laser pointer,” explains Richardson. “The tiny laser dot is moved very rapidly, using mirrors to create curved lines, shapes, and so on. However, the more content you try to display, the more the laser projection blinks or flickers. Also, lasers can only project one color.”
That’s where optical projections and the DSC/LPT partnership come in. Using basically the same type of projector that is found in conference rooms around the world, ProjectionWorks projects work instructions, diagrams, paint masking, and more onto the 3D object that is being painted or assembled.
Although the two methods — laser and optical — are technically alternatives, they can also be used in tandem. The resulting complementary product provides all the strength of both technologies.
Enhanced projection solutions
Through their partnership, both DSC and LPT will be able to provide enhanced projection solutions that pair highly detailed laser projection with optical projection’s ability to project a large amount of information when and where it is needed. Customers of both companies will have more options and will be able to use a single user interface (UI) to operate either or both technologies.
According to Richardson, this technical partnership will enable customers to display large amounts of data — with text, pictures, and a full color pallet; with no flicker; and with precision lines (at 0.005-inch accuracy). And the system can verify correct placement of parts with the laser projector’s measurement capabilities.
“The dual-tech system has no peer,” Richardson says. “This is the only system with these capabilities, anywhere. When out-of-station work requires the precision of a tool that is unavailable in the current station, the laser projector can provide references with ample precision to aid an assembly technician, and the optical part of the projection provides all the instructions: what to do when, and subsequent assembly instructions.”
Other possible applications for the optical-laser projection solution include composite ply layup assembly and painting airplanes. Richardson explains: “In a ply layup application, we can now supply detailed work instructions and part numbers [via optical projection] while the laser provides lines that meet the high accuracy tolerances. For painting airplanes, we can project the entire paint scheme in full color at one time, while the laser provides a higher-precision line for masking.”
[cta]Customers who are interested in improving their assembly processes with the new technology can contact Delta Sigma Company for more information. Call DSC at (770) 575-5100 or email info@deltasigmacompany.com.[/cta]
