Measure and inspect tools directly on the screen of your control and save yourself a trip to the metrology lab. This reduces idle time, increases machining accuracy, prevents scrap and lowers the amount of rework. It also has less effect on the machining process, because during a tool-life test the tool does not cool down as it would under a microscope in the lab. Users can therefore work faster and more productively, as well as automatically access documentation about tool life and the change in wear over time.

Using a special measuring LED, the VT 122 camera system automatically measures the length and diameter of your tools. The resulting data is sent straight to your HEIDENHAIN TNC control, thereby bypassing the need for separate presetting equipment. Checking the tool currently in the spindle prior to machining is now fast and easy, helping you boost your process reliability.

To enable tool inspection, the VT 122 creates detailed panoramic images of the tool's entire circumference at different illumination angles. This enables an intuitive inspection of the edges, tool inspection prior to machining steps and documentation of a tool's wear history. Individual edges can also be checked for breakage, and the current state of a tool can be checked after its intended service life has expired.

The VT 122 camera can create images from below for a precise view of the tool tip. For tools with a large number of teeth, detailed inspection of every individual edge is possible via an image series.

The enclosed and exceptionally roboust VT 122 camera is designed to be installed inside the work envelope of your machines. Built-in jets clean the tool and the camera's cover glass with compressed air prior to inspection. At no time is there contact with the tool during imaging. Tools that have exceeded their normal wear limits can be automatically blocked from use through an NC cycle.

After you've taken close-up shots of every cutting edge, or a detailed panoramic shot of the entire tool circumference, the VTC software allows you to vary the illumination angle while inspecting panoramic images, enabling virtual evaluation of the edges along with wear measurement on the tool flank.

In the detailed panoramic images taken of the entire tool circumference at varioius illumination angles, users can virtually evaluate individual cutting edges. The panoramic images delviered by the VTC software enable intiutive inspection of a tool's cutting edges and the documentation of wear history. The information gained can also be used for optimizing cutting parameters and NC programs.

The imaging cycle lets you define the camera angles, but the images themselves are taken automatically by the VTC software. The resulting image database is organized based on the designations in the tool table. A cycle parameter also lets you group images based on your own criteria.

The VT 122 camera and VTC software allow users to create an image series and view it in the inspection overview screen. For tools with numerous cutting edges, the software allows users to navigate through the series, offering a zoom window for greater detail. In the inspection overview screen, users can assign a status to tools based on a traffic-light scheme. Any tools assigned the color red can be blocked in the tool table.

In comparison mode, the VTC software shows images of the same cutting edge side by side, thus allowing users to visualize changes in the level of wear over time. Changes can also be shown in a heatmap.

When a tool is repeatedly photographed over time, the VTC software instructs the camera to capture the same position of the cutting edge and the same lighting, thus enabling a proper comparison of the images after long periods. This automation feature makes tool inspection simpler than it would be with a microscope in the lab.