This podcast episode introduces "Maestro," a groundbreaking all-digital Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) system from Hexagon's manufacturing intelligence division. Guests Sean Thielen and Jörg Delert discuss how the system was developed from the ground up to address critical industry challenges: a global shortage of skilled metrology professionals, the need for increased adaptability in manufacturing, persistent productivity bottlenecks in quality control, and the growing demand for automation and autonomy. Maestro aims to transform CMMs from being "necessary evils" into seamlessly integrated, high-speed, and user-friendly components of the manufacturing workflow. Key innovations include a "no-code" programming environment leveraging digital twins, automated component recognition, and standardized bidirectional communication to enhance overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and enable smarter factory planning.
Maestro: A New Era in Manufacturing Metrology
0:00 Introduction to Maestro: The episode introduces "Maestro," a new product from Hexagon's manufacturing intelligence division, designed to revolutionize Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs).
1:17 Hexagon's Broad Scope: Hexagon, known for CMMs, is highlighted for its extensive integration of hardware and software across "manufacturing intelligence," aiming to address quality control bottlenecks.
Sean Thielen: Product Sales Manager for stationary products at Hexagon, with 29 years of experience in the company, overseeing various CMM systems.
Jörg Delert: General Manager of stationary measurement devices and machine tool measurement at Hexagon, based in Germany, responsible for large-scale measurement devices and with 17 years in metrology, including CMM controller development.
6:16 Stationary Metrology Defined: Explained as bringing the part to the measurement device, as opposed to portable metrology where the device is brought to the part.
6:55 The Need for Maestro: Addressing Industry Challenges: Traditional CMMs have remained largely unchanged for 40 years, facing critical issues:
Expertise Shortage: A global scarcity of highly skilled CMM operators.
Lack of Adaptability: CMMs are not easily reconfigured for frequently changing production parts.
Productivity Bottlenecks: Quality control is often slow, hindering overall production throughput.
Limited Autonomy: A need for systems that reduce operator influence and integrate seamlessly with production workflows.
10:50 Customer-Centric Design: Hexagon began Maestro's development by defining user "personas" (e.g., highly skilled experts, operators, small/medium enterprise all-rounders, and automation/production teams) to tailor the system to diverse user needs and pain points.
13:50 Voice of the Customer: Sean emphasizes gathering direct customer feedback on CMMs often being perceived as a "necessary evil" and integrating these insights into product development.
15:50 Overcoming Challenges in Practice: Mike shares his shop's experience viewing CMMs as a "necessary evil" due to lack of training, and their active efforts to integrate CMMs more into their manufacturing process, highlighting the potential for younger workers to embrace new technology.
20:21 Bridging the "Language Gap": Maestro aims to make CMMs "CNC-like" by adopting standard industrial communication protocols (like MQTT) and workflows, simplifying integration with machine tools and automation systems, removing the need for specialists to learn a "third language."
23:40 No-Code Programming and Digital Twins: Maestro features a "no-code" environment where users load CAD files with inspection data. The system, leveraging a digital twin of the CMM, automatically generates measurement programs, making it easier to adapt to different machines and sensor configurations.
25:55 Simplified Setup: Maestro streamlines CMM setup by automatically recognizing and configuring active components (sensors, racks), moving towards a "USB of metrology" plug-and-play concept.
28:55 Boosting OEE and Plannability: Maestro targets improved uptime, availability, and plannability, providing traceable system data crucial for calculating Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) – Availability x Performance x Quality. This enables better resource planning across multiple CMMs and sites.
On-Machine Display: Provides immediate status updates.
Smart Machine Eye (Camera): Acts as a "dash cam," automatically recording machine activity and errors to aid troubleshooting and service.
Significant Speed Increase: Maestro demonstrates 25-30% faster performance than previous models by eliminating "handbrakes" in traditional CMM operations and enabling synchronized 5-axis movements.
38:55 Enabling Automation and Lights-Out Manufacturing: Maestro's improved integration and standardized communication make it easier to link CMMs with automated pallet delivery systems and robots, moving towards self-correcting in-process inspection and "lights-out" production capabilities.
42:06 Availability: Maestro was revealed on May 6th in Germany and will be available for orders starting mid-June at Hexagon Live in Las Vegas, with deliveries following soon after.
43:50 Key Takeaway: Integration is Critical: The main takeaway is Maestro's focus on seamless integration, making metrology easier to use, connecting all steps of the manufacturing process, and directly addressing quality as a critical bottleneck for increased efficiency and throughput.