Adding New Probe to Probe Database in PowerINSPECT 4.0

PWI000112

Context

this document applies to :

  1. PowerINSPECT 4.0

Gripe no 0000

Summary

The Probe Database Catalogue is a file in xml format that contains details of probes and styli. This document explains the content of this file and how to add more probes and stylii.

Description

The Probe Database Catalogue is a file (in .xml format) that contains details of commonly used probe tools. If your organisation uses other probe tools, you will need to add details of these tools to the catalogue.

Only probe tools contained in this catalogue will be available for selection from the Simulator tab within PowerINSPECT.

 

Where the Probe Database Catalogue is stored

The probe database catalogue is held in the PowerINSPECT installation tree. The location is in
\dcam\product\PowerINSPECTXXXX\ProbeDatabaseCatalogue

and the file name is ProbePartCatalogue.xml

Adding New Probe Tools

Before adding new probe tools to the catalogue, it is important to understand its structure to ensure that you add new probe tools correctly.

Review the following extract from the Probe Database Catalogue and then review the explanatory notes that follow.

<Stylus name="M4_50x8_CE" from_mounting="m4" price="15.25" diameter="8" length="50">
   <Manufacturer>Renishaw</Manufacturer>
   <Geometry>
      <Cylinder height="4" diameter="6" offset="0" reference_length="4" material="Stainless"color="#FAFAFA"/>
      <Cone height="8" diameter1="4.0" diameter2="6" offset="0" reference_length="8.0" material="Stainless" color="#FAFAFA"/>
      <Cylinder height="38.0" diameter="4.0" offset="0" reference_length="38.0" material="Ceramic" color="#DCDCDC"/>
      <Sphere diameter="8" offset="0" reference_length="0" material="Ruby" color="#C80000"/>
   </Geometry>
</Stylus>

The general information is displayed below.

Characteristic

Explanation
Stylus name the name that appears when selecting the element in PowerINSPECT
from_mounting determines whether an element can be mounted on the previous element
Reference Length effective length- distance from the mounting point to the next element

Naming Convention

There are conventions which are used for generic elements. For example, use the following format for naming styli:

thread_lengthxdiameter_material

For example:

M2_50x8_CE    
M2 Thread M2
50 Length 50mm
8 Diameter 8mm
CE Material Ceramic

Types of Element

Several different types of elements appear in the xml file. The main types are shown below.

 Element

Notes or examples

Assemblies  Combinations of other elements
Probe Parts  this is the main section
Extension  e.g. ""PAA1"", M2-M3 Adaptor
Module  e.g. ""TP20"" ""STD""
Probe Body  e.g. ""TP20""
Stylus  e.g. ""M3_21x5_SS""

Materials

This is used to specify the material used in the probe elements.
Use the following abbreviations to denote different materials:

ID  Material
CE  ceramic
CF  carbon fibre
SS  stainless steel
TC  tungsten carbide

Geometry

The section starting at <Geometry> and ending with </Geometry> contains the actual CAD geometry, as shown in the CAD View in PowerINSPECT. There is an entry for each section of the stylus: e.g. cylindrical, conical and sphere sections.

Specify the dimension parameters for the elements in mm.

Feature  Parameters
 Cone  height diameter1 diameter2
 Cylinder  height diameter
 Sphere  diameter

Order of Features

The geometric features should be listed in the order that they will appear in the element.

Colours

There is an entry for the colour displayed in the CAD view. The colours which have been used as standard are as follows.

 Colour  code  Example usage
 Black  #32323  carbon fibre
 Grey  #7D7DB4  tungsten carbide
 Red  #C80000  probe ruby
 Silver  #FAFAFA  stainless steel
 White  #DCDCDC  ceramic

Editing the Probe Database Catalogue

The Probe Database Catalogue for PowerINSPECT is stored in the PowerINSPECT installation directory at:
dcam\product\PowerINSPECT4020\ProbeDatabaseCatalogue.xml

You can edit this file as a text file in any application that allows you to edit text files, such as Windows Notepad and Word for Windows. When adding new entries to the catalogue, be careful to follow the structure of existing entries in the file.

It is recommended that you copy the entire section from an existing element and then edit it.

When you have saved your changes to the Probe Database Catalogue, you should check the entries you have added appear correctly in the Simulator tab within PowerINSPECT.