Difference between revisions of "Measuring Coping"

• Back to VTube-STEP
• Back to VTube-LASER

In this example, we designed an adapter in SOLIDWORKS that simulates the joining pipe to the main pipe.

This adapter acts like an additional leg on the end of the tube (see the red section).

Remember that, because VTube calculates diameters on the fly, it never matters if the adapter diameter is the same as the main pipe. VTube-LASER will be able to find the centerline of this geometry - which is exactly what you need to check the coping.

The length of the adapter is not important - but the longer it is, the more accurate the VTube math engine can be in projection to the centerline.

Now, export this model to a STEP file for import into VTube-LASER.

VTube-STEP is included as one of the modes with every VTube-LASER. Switch to STEP mode, then clear the project, then import the STEP model created in the solid modelling program.

Use the Collect feature to build a collection of cylinder surfaces. Include the adapter as the end straight.

Right click and rebuild the model.

You can now confirm the new parametric model (the model that is controlled by new XYZ coordinates) by pressing F9 to turn on and view the point labels.

Switch to VTube-LASER, attach the adapter (temporarily) to the coping on the part, then measure and qualify the entire part with the adapter.

It is not a problem that there is no radius at the first intersection between the first and second straights. The measurement and qualification will still produce useful information about how to adjust the tube and the coping.

In this alignment, we used 321 Plane Line Point alignment to lock the tube to itself, and allow all the error to float to the coping end of the tube.

The pink tube is the measured aligned tube. It allows you to visualize how far out of the envelope the coping is when the adapter is attached.