VTube-LASER

Connect to a FARO ScanArm, measure tube shapes, and correct benders. Back to the Main VTube-LASER web page Back to VTube-STEP

Videos

• See the VTube-LASER Videos page

Software Updates

• See the VTube Software Updates page
• See the VTube Features Soon to Be Released page
• See the VTube Software Maintenance Plan page
  
  

Executive Summary

VTube-LASER Description

VTube-LASER uses the laser scanner and/or ball probe to: Measure tube, pipe, and wire shapes Qualify the shape or path of the part based on centerline tolerances Correct bending machines Reverse-engineer existing parts Print reports Quickly import and export tube data from other software Remove the need for tube fixtures and gauges to qualify parts. VTube-LASER Clients Examples of actual clients: Excavators A manufacturer of excavators uses VTube to check the hydraulic lines coming in from a vendor. Truck Frames A manufacturer of hydro formed truck frames to adjust benders so that the pipe fits into pre-crush presses. Fuel/Brake Lines A manufacturer that fabricates tube for the large truck industry. They adjust a bank of benders that are connected directly to VTube-LASER. Mining Industry A manufacturer that fabricates pipe for the mining industry. They adjust very large benders that are connected to VTube-LASER. Oil Industry A manufacturer of undersea oil caps that have hundreds of hydraulic lines. They reverse-engineer mock-ups for fabrication.

List of Benefits of Using VTube-LASER for Tube Measurement

Benefit 1 - Super Quick Project Setup Other measurement programs are often more generic in their approach to geometry. In order to measure a tube, it is necessary to build up individual elements and create a script for the process. Because VTube assumes that you will be measuring a tube shape, the project setup is very quick and easy - saving hundreds of steps required in other programs.

Benefit 2 - Built-in Automated Process for Measuring Tubes You don't have to guess at the order of the steps to measure a tube. When you measure a tube with VTube, the methods for gathering the information and calculating the centerline, intersection points, and bend data are preprogrammed as a series of consistent steps that never change and never have to be scripted. VTube knows what you should give it, and it will always request that data in order using the Measure a Tube control window.

Benefit 3 - Built in Feedback to Increase Confidence in the Data VTube-LASER has special procedures that help anticipate the level of confidence you will have in the incoming data. There are series of crosschecks just for measuring tubing, both mathematical and on-screen, that allow users to know if the data is good. For example, the Cylinder Fit Data window shows the accuracy of the centerline calculated from cylinder points by reporting the X and Y wobble deviations. Benefit 4 - Built-in Bender Correction VTube-LASER knows how to correct benders - and has special menus and procedures for doing that well. See a list of benders for communication

Tutorials and Information

• How to Activate the VTube-LASER Hardware Key
• How to Setup VTube-LASER for the Network License Manager
• Recommended VTube-LASER Screen Resolution
• How to Measure a short end-straight with a flange
• How to Change the default linear units in VTube
• Recommended VTube Computer Specification
• How we connect VTube-LASER to Eaton Leonard Benders - Premier,EL-2000, and VE-LOG
• Explain Sigma as it relates to errors.
• End-Scan Technique Research
• Surface Coating for LASER Scanning
• Technical Document: How to Measure Copper Tube with a FARO Edge Scanner
• How to Convert from TubeCalc Elongation to VTube Elongation
• VTube-LASER Model Colors
• How to find the VTube Bender Template Location
• Best-Fit Alignment Versus Hard-Point Alignment
• How to check OpenGL Drivers versions
• How to Measure Large Diameter Tubing
• How to Setup Reports to Show Bender Plus Adjusted Data
• See Measuring Center Accessories for turnkey components recommended
• How to Adjust the VTube License Type in the Config File
• How to Set the Number of Values Beyond the Decimal for VTube
• How to Change the VTube User Interface Language
• How to Change the VTube Default Setup
• How to Import the Split Bend with STEP Version of "VTube-LASER Demo CAD Model 2"
• How to find the VTube configuration files
• How to copy the VTube configuration files for different Windows user logins
• See how CAM2 can work with VTube-LASER to measure components around tube shapes. See FARO CAM2

VTube Related Program IDs Used for Licensing

PID	Program Licensed
354	VTube-STEP
355	VTube-Pro
356	VTube-LASER
360	VTube-LASER Programmer

Other Pages

• VTube-LASER Home Web Page
• Read the VTube Software License
• Recommended CAD Conversion Tools
• Measuring Center Accessories