Nikon has launched the LV100AMS, a one-click automated microscope designed to simplify industrial inspection and quality control. Built on the company’s established industrial microscope platforms, the LV100AMS combines automated inspection with AI-powered image analysis to improve consistency, increase inspection speed and strengthen confidence in inspection results.

As manufacturers face growing labour shortages and increasing production demands, maintaining consistent inspection quality has become more challenging. To address these issues, Nikon developed the LV100AMS to automate the entire inspection workflow, from image acquisition through to analysis.

“We enable manufacturers to reduce human error, accelerate inspections and maintain stable quality across production lines,” says John Moore, sales director at Nikon.

The LV100AMS performs complex inspection routines and advanced image analysis at the touch of a button, reducing operator-to-operator variation while delivering repeatable, standardised inspections across multiple shifts and production sites. By minimising human intervention, manufacturers can improve yield, reduce rework and shorten operator training times.

The system integrates motorised control, automated image acquisition and AI-driven analysis within a single platform, eliminating the inefficiencies associated with disconnected inspection processes. Automated analysis provides consistent, objective results with minimal operator influence, increasing throughput while giving manufacturers greater confidence in quality decisions.

Recognising that inspection requirements vary between applications, Nikon has also designed the LV100AMS to support customised inspection workflows. Manufacturers can tailor automated routines to suit specific products, production processes and inspection conditions, enabling greater flexibility than conventional microscopy. The approach allows users to adapt quickly to new products, design changes and evolving quality standards, helping manufacturers maintain efficient, reliable inspection processes while supporting continuous improvement across production.

More information https://industry.nikon.com/en-gb/

To support engineers working within demanding industrial and metrological environments, HBK has created a portable device which simplifies complex set ups and helps maintain measurement accuracy across diverse systems: the DA110 handheld indicator.

The tool addresses these challenges by providing a complete, versatile and configurable measurement chain. Engineered to integrate with a variety of strain gauge sensors (full bridge, 4- or 6-wire, 80 to 5000 Ω) and transducers – including high-precision force, torque and weighing sensors – it transforms how mobile calibration, material testing and asset monitoring are performed. A built-in transducer electronic data sheet (TEDS) enables immediate sensor recognition, allowing technicians to switch between distinct measurement tasks instantly.

By bringing laboratory-grade precision directly to the field, the indicator offers several operational advantages, starting with standards-compliant traceability. The system can be calibrated by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) to operate as a fully traceable reference instrument within an organisation’s existing calibration chain, ensuring audit-ready documentation, suitable for high-end reference and service use.

Traceability is also supported by technical capability – with an accuracy class of up to 0.01% of full scale at a 4.8 kHz sample rate, as well as high-speed sampling up to 19.2 kHz with 0.1% accuracy to capture rapid, dynamic force profiles reliably.

The D110 simplifies the calibration of industrial machinery and complex weighing systems, enabling field technicians to perform precise, repeatable verification directly on stamping and forming presses, hydraulic workshop presses, press brakes, assembly machines and torque verification systems, without the need for expensive, time-consuming stationary lab set ups.

When paired with industrial load cells, the device serves as a mobile reference system to verify weighing installations in silos, tanks and filling stations.

More information www.tinyurl.com/ykbvejk5

Hexagon’s Portable Metrology Division has introduced HyperProbe, a new wireless contact probe that adds tactile measurement capability to its HyperScan large-volume laser scanning system. The addition enables users to combine non-contact scanning and contact probing within a single inspection workflow, improving productivity during alignment, inspection and reporting.

HyperScan eliminates the need for traditional reference targets, allowing users to begin scanning immediately without additional preparation or repositioning. An intelligent optical tracker continuously determines the position of the scanner or probe in real time, supporting uninterrupted measurement of large and complex components.

“Users can now add HyperProbe to HyperScan when contact probing is needed – for example, to measure a hidden feature – while staying in the same inspection workflow,” explains Darren Goh, product director for handheld scanners at Hexagon. “The introduction of HyperProbe gives HyperScan customers the ability to inspect hidden points without interrupting the measurement process.”

The Bluetooth-connected HyperProbe provides measurement accuracy down to 0.05 mm and delivers immediate feedback through on-device controls, making it suited to alignment tasks such as positioning automotive fixtures or composite moulds. Users can also switch seamlessly between scanning and probing to inspect hidden features anywhere within HyperScan’s measurement volume of up to 7 m, while dynamic optical tracking removes the need for manual realignment if the component or operator moves.

Designed for comfortable handheld operation, HyperProbe weighs just 0.72 kg and provides up to four hours of continuous battery life. Thumb-operated controls allow rapid selection of probing modes, including circle and plane measurements.

HyperProbe is supported by Hexagon’s HHscan and Geomagic Control X software, as well as selected third-party metrology platforms, and is available worldwide for both new and existing HyperScan users.

More information www.hexagon.com