API Rebrands for Smart Factory Metrology
Automated Precision, Inc. (API; Rockville, MD) announced a global rebranding that formally changed their company name to API in recognition of their name abbreviation being universally adopted by their global customer base and industry peers. This follows many other big-name manufacturers who have similarly abbreviated. For more than 30 years the company has pioneered laser-based equipment for measurement and calibration. Their founder and chief executive officer, Dr. Kam Lau, invented the laser tracker while working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, MD). This development, for the first time, allowed industrial robot accuracies to be determined.
“Today we are a global company with its laser trackers continuing to be the benchmark for metrology automation, precision and innovation,” explains Dr. Lau explains. “Our measurement and calibration products are at the heart of manufacturing organizations world-wide, ensuring product quality and performance. With the advent of smart factories, we are more focused than ever on providing tools for the enhanced performance of manufacturing processes by reducing process variation.” They have launched a new website, www.apimetrology.com, together with services.apimetrology.com for their accredited measurement and calibration services.
The rebranded company and new updated corporate identity has also added a new product philosophy tagline, Nothing Beyond Measure, in recognition of their being a metrology innovator, spanning technological boundaries by harnessing scientific innovations, and to ultimately focus on delivering smart manufacturing measuring systems. They recently launched a series of new product innovations, including the CheckBox™ Smart Factory Inspection System (SFIS), an optical 3D measuring solution for the inspection of production parts integrated directly into manufacturing operations. Real-time enhanced robot accuracy from their 6DoF Radian Pro Laser Tracker eliminates any requirement for problematic stickers typically used by photogrammetric robotic measuring systems, while providing comparable horizontal-arm CMM accuracy.
In addition as part of their global rebranding program, an updated series of Radian laser trackers offering the lightest most compact and highest accuracy trackers has been launched. Their compact and rigid Unibody tracker design incorporates shaft mounted motors, encoders and laser. The Unibody provides the centering of all heat sources, allowing rapid distribution of heat throughout the tracker body during warm-up, or drastic ambient temperature variations, ensuring the tracker body maintains constant heat equilibrium throughout its operation, resulting in shorter warm-up time and superior measurement stability.
