Mahr Inc., has announced the expansion of its Precimar ICM 100 Dial and Digital Indicator Calibrator with image processing, designed for the automated testing of measuring equipment. Existing Precimar Optimar 100 devices can also be upgraded with the new vision capabilities. 

The ICM 100 is a proven solution for testing dial and digital indicators, test indicators, and dial comparators. The new image processing upgrade now makes working with the measuring instrument safer and faster—a camera automatically records the indicated values of the test indicators and forwards them to a software for processing. The automated procedure saves time and eliminates error-prone readings by the operator. The user also benefits by eliminating eyestrain and muscle fatigue since no interaction is required once the automated calibration process begins.

The hardware and software add-on package provides a cost-efficient way to equip new or existing ICM 100 measuring stations for automated testing. The measuring system including image processing is also available as a complete package under the name Precimar ICM 100 IP.

The new vision capabilities incorporate the fast image processing of a USB 3.0 camera and stable daylight-independent LED illumination, along with secure digital identification and reading of digits. Mahr’s Precimar Software for Gage Calibration controls the measuring device, evaluates the camera image of the scale or number display of the test object, compares the values with the high accuracy internal reference scale and automatically completes the process of calibrating the product under test. The software also makes it possible to create and store test certificates.

The easy operation of the ICM 100 with image processing speeds up and facilitates the monitoring of the indicators under test. With auto-recognition of the vison system, more test items and data points will be recorded faster than conventional manual methods. The completely automated inspection system enables the operator to be more productive, completing additional operations while the ICM 100 IP automatically completes the calibration process. This makes indicator inspection much more economical.

Precimar software is preloaded with many standard indicator calibration routines as defined by various national standards including American ASME/ANSI, British, German, French, Japanese and Russian. Simple choose the indicator type to be calibrated and the appropriate standard, and the system is ready to automatically perform a detailed calibration of the test piece.