VTube-LASER Advantages

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This icon means we invented and/or were the first to introduce this technology for the tube fabrication industry.

This icon means that the technology is unique to VTube-LASER when compared to other tube fabrication measuring systems.

DCF (Dual Cylinder Fit) is the major enhancement for VTube-LASER in version 2.8 (April, 2017) because...

1. It replicates measuring the tube TWICE in one pass when the user measures the tube the first time.
   
2. It requires 4 total pass-fail checks for cylinder calculations.
   
   

The goal is to ensure repeatability of the cylinder measurements on-the-fly using a LASER scanner.

See DCF - Dual Cylinder Fit for details.

Work holders with clamps are not needed with VTube-LASER. Measure the table surface as a Cut Plane, then lay the tube on the table during scanning. VTube-LASER will automatically ignore the table.

This has an advantage of allowing flexible tubes to rest on a large surface to control flexing - rather than placing them in tube clamps.

• See VTube-LASER Cut Planes

We invented DCP in 2016.

No other tube measuring system uses this feature.

Only VTube-LASER uses DCP (Diameter Cut Planes) to keep the first tube the laser finds and remove any other tube (or any object) scanned beyond allowed DCP radius width limit.

For example, Holly MSD uses this feature to scan tube headers.

• See DCP - Diameter Cut Planes

We are unaware of any other tube measuring system that can duplicate this feature.

VTube-LASER can draw a measured part in SOLIDWORKS in just a few seconds. In this image, we measured four tubes in VTube-LASER, automatically drew each part in SOLIDWORKS, then combined the four parts into an assembly using the SOLIDWORK's assembly feature.

• See VTube-LASER Video 58
  
• See Building Tube Assemblies in SOLIDWORKS

We invented the SPLIT BEND feature in 2011.

Fork-probe measuring systems must treat 180-degree bends as if they have a straight (which they don't). This can create a high wobble deviation in the centerline creation.

This feature solves a huge accuracy problem that many other measuring centers have when trying to handle 180-degree bends.

VTube-LASER uses the SPLIT BEND process to accurately measure any bend that equals or exceeds 180-degree bends using math based on point-cloud data from the inside and outside apex area of the bend.

Any collapse or ovality in the bend region does not reduce the accuracy of the Split Bend centerline placements in VTube-LASER.

VTube-LASER assumes that the bend is an unpredictable shape and uses math that finds the exact center of whatever shape it measures at the apex of the bend.

• See VTube-LASER Video 40
  
  
• See Video 54 for how to setup for a Split Bend.
  
  

For details, see the VTube-LASER Split Bend Feature page.

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Other systems may struggle with importing tubes with extra objects in the file.

Some competitors require that you purchase bender communications functionality.

VTube-LASER includes communication with up to 100 benders with no additional license charge for many bender types.

• See one protocol example: Setup VTube for Supravision Network Communication

Competing fork-probe measuring systems cannot duplicate this feature. They must change fork probes for wide ranges of diameters. Also, to the best of our knowledge, no other systems can measure CENTERILNE STRINGS like VTube-LASER can.

VTube-LASER is completely immune to diameter changes because it measures the diameter on-the-fly. (The diameter value entered in Part Setup is only for visualizing the model on the screen.)

This means that VTube-LASER can measure ANY diameter without changing the probes or scanners. The same scanner can measure a paper clip or a 12-inch diameter pipe.

VTube-LASER uses the FARO ScanArm capability to measure a tube using either the ball probe or the laser probe – all in the same tube. This feature lets you alternate measuring technique depending on what works best at the moment.

VTube-LASER even has a feature for measuring CENTERLINE STRINGS. We added this for the US Navy.

Vision-based systems examine the OD silhouette only. Fork-probe systems use a sliver of data from either tangent on each straight.

VTube-LASER takes in an actual point cloud of the diameter surface then solves for a centerline cylinder.

This is why VTube is immune to changing diameters, and why it always returns the Out-of-round% for every measure.

VTube-LASER has built-in filters that let you control the density of the point cloud on the scanned surface.

Heavy surface point display has been part of VTube from the beginning. The TRUE VIEW feature was added in version 2.8 in April, 2017.

Other systems hide much of the real time feed back or show none at all.

VTube-LASER shows you the actual model of the scanned points on the screen immediately after the scan in its TRUE VIEW orientation. This allows the operator to visually verify that the scan was good before moving to the next straight or end. If there are outliers or flyers - you can easily see them in this screen. (See the top image.)

After the inspection is complete, VTube creates solid model images that are designed to clearly show you where the tube passes or fails the tolerance envelope. In the bottom image, it is easy to see that the measured-aligned tube (the pink tube) is too long because it moves far past the end length tolerance envelope - which has turned bright yellow because the measured tube is outside the envelope.

Some systems rely on less accurate and less flexible MOVE commands for longer tubes.

The LEAPFROG feature allows VTube-LASER to measure any length tube shape accurately by moving the arm around longer tubes and pipes.

This method of measuring tubes longer than the arm's reach is far more accurate than operations that use TUBE MOVES.

• See VTube-LASER Leapfrog

We introduced VTube-STEP on March 15, 2010.

No other system includes VTube-STEP as part of the software license.

Every VTube-LASER comes with VTube-STEP because the Model-based Definition STEP mode is the foundation of LASER mode for measuring with the FARO.

Not only can you import any solid model - but you can do some very complex operations on them as well. For example, you can unbend the parametric tube with components or holes following the unbend. And you can include elongation in the unbend too.

In the top image, VTube has unbent part of the tube with end solid model components and brackets following. This new unbent configuration can be exported to any solid modeling package with the STEP EXPORT feature.

Vision-based systems cannot easily detect and measure small-angled bends.

VTube-LASER can measure tubes with very shallow bends.

Some systems may not be able to measure bowed straights well.

VTube-LASER can measure curved straights using MultiScan.