Product Overview

Wilcox Associates, Inc. is proud to bring you PC-DMIS™ Gear 2.3. PC-DMIS Gear is a completely independent software package that, through automation, uses PC-DMIS 4.2 or higher to measure External Spur, Helical, Internal Spur and Bevel gears. The new PC-DMIS Gear design in 2.1 and higher has been improved for simplicity to give you a straight-forward measurement experience.

PC-DMIS Gear combines the capability that was previously accomplished using two separate applications: PC-DMIS Gear (external and internal spur, helical gears) and Spiral Bevel Gear (bevel gears). In building PC-DMIS Gear, Wilcox Associates combined the core capabilities of PC-DMIS with the advanced gear measurement algorithms of QUINDOS.

A wide range of international standards are supported. Users can easily switch among various international standards for evaluating gears. Built into PC-DMIS Gear is support for the following:

• AGMA 2000-A88
• DIN 3962
• JIS B 1702
• ISO 1328

PC-DMIS Gear is an extremely competitive alternative to dedicated gear measurement equipment.  Dedicated gear measurement machines are expensive, and in all but the most demanding circumstances, an investment in them can be overkill.  PC-DMIS Gear offers the manufacturers of gears an attractive alternative. Its combination of ease of use, coupled with advanced technology, works well in a wide range of applications.

PC-DMIS Gear makes it easy for users to build inspection programs, define gear parameters, measure the defined gear, and generate and analyze reports.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit; Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit; or Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit. Note that this version will NOT function on computers using any other operating system.
• Pentium IV or higher processor is suggested.
• 1 GHz or higher Intel processor.
• 512 MB of RAM (but significantly more may be required if working with large CAD models).
• 750 MB of free hard drive space minimum for the application.
• SVGA graphics card capable of OpenGL shading. (We cannot specify the exact Graphics card because every user has varying needs). Note that Nvidia GeForce video cards are not recommended. These are defined as "gaming" cards according to Nvidia Engineering.
• SVGA capable monitor.
• Screen resolution of 1280 x 1024 or higher.
• CD-ROM drive.
• USB Port.

Recommended Minimums:

• Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit; Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit; or Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit. Note that this version will NOT function on computers using any other operating system.
• 2 GHz or higher Intel processor for improved performance. Pentium 4 or higher processor recommended.
• 1 GB of RAM or higher. More RAM may be required if working with large CAD models. You should have RAM equal to 8 times the size of your largest CAD file. (For example, if you use an IGES model of 250 MB, then 2 GB RAM is recommended)
• 1.25 GB of free hard drive space plus enough for allocated Virtual Memory equal to 8 times the largest CAD file used.
• SVGA graphics card that supports OpenGL shading and that has WHQL (Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs) certified drivers. These drivers can be downloaded automatically when using the Windows Update software.). On board video card memory should be based on the size of your largest CAD file. For small CAD files (less than 50 MB), 32 MB video memory. For medium CAD files (50-100 MB), 64 MB video memory. For large CAD files (> 100 MB), 128+ MB video memory.
• SVGA capable monitor
• Screen resolution of 1280 x 1024 or higher
• CD-ROM drive.
• USB Port

Basic Gear Features

PC-DMIS Gear 2.1 and higher provide the following capabilities:

• Qualifying Probes and Aligning Gears
• Defining a Gear
• Measuring a Gear
• Analyzing Gear Data

Qualifying Probes and Aligning Gears

PC-DMIS Gear reduces the complexity of probe qualification and part alignment.

The process of probe qualification launches the PC-DMIS Probe Utilities dialog box. This common PC-DMIS tool allows you to quickly create and qualify probes for gear measurement.

Creating a gear alignment is done by means of three alignment routines:

• External Spur and Helical Gear
• Internal Spur Gear
• External Gear With Shaft

You can use an existing PC-DMIS part program to create the alignment, or you can create a custom alignment.

Multiple tips can be used to measure various components of the gear alignments. Parameters to adjust machine movements can also be adjusted as needed.

Depending on the alignment routine, DCC feature (plane, circle, and cylinder) values can be specified to determine how these alignment features are measured.

When creating a bevel gear alignment, you can specify the feature types to which the Z axis and the XYZ origin will be aligned. Additional parameters allow you to define the measurement of the face or root cone for a bevel gear.

Alignment measurement is done by means of an alignment wizard, which guides you through each step of measurement.

Back to Features

Defining a Gear

Gear parameters allow you to fully define the theoretical values to which your gear will be measured and compared. A full array of options are available depending on your gear standard and the gear type you are measuring.

Parameters for your gear include:

• Pitch/Runout
• Profile
• Helix/Lead
• Tip/Root
• Pitch (bevel gears)
• Topography (bevel gears)

Back to Features

Measuring a Gear

PC-DMIS Gear automatically creates a part program to measure your gear as defined. Measuring a gear can be done by scanning with an analog probe or by taking hits with a touch trigger probe.

Measuring bevel gears includes the capability to measure a Master Flank. This provides an average form for all of the measured flanks of a bevel gear.

A measurement wizard guides you through the steps to measure the defined gear. A part program for gear measurement is automatically created and executed by PC-DMIS.

A Data Viewer allows you to review and export measured data.

Back to Features

Analyzing Gear Data

Measurement results are displayed graphically using Quindos PageViewer. Below are some sample measurement results:

Spur and Helical Gear Examples

• Pitch Runout
• Profile Helix

Bevel Gear Examples

• Pitch Runout
• Topography

Back to Features

New Features and Enhancements

The following are the new enhancements available in PC-DMIS Gear 2.3:

• Added support for newer operating systems: Windows Vista and Windows 7
  
• Addes support for 64-bit Windows configurations.
  

Updates and Fixes

PC-DMIS Gear 2.3 contains these problem report fixes:

• 268440 - Quality number for ffB is not right.
• 268278 - Ensure Gear adheres to Windows 7 recommendation for file locations.
• 268244 - When I try to install gear v2.3 QA build 324, I get an error, and it will not complete the install.
• 267922 - After canceling Master Flank data collection, I get an unhandled exception error.
• 267911 - When I answered NO to import the master flank data, it was imported anyway.
• 267866 - End Z coordinate for helix measurement can not be saved
• 267859 - There is some confusion with measuring new topography.
• 267858 - When I define a new Bevel Gear, the Topography measurement is enabled but the tooth quantity is set to 0.
• 267793 - I get an Unhandled Exception Error when trying to define the master flank data.
• 267239 - Why does this gear prompt not respond to the UJB jogbox return key?
• 267229 - The Gear application does not switch to the analog probe for measurement.
• 267228 - The spiral bevel gear package only allows me to use the same single probe for pitch as I use for topography.
• 267227 - When I canceled alignment of the Gear, the message indicated it aligned successfully.
• 267071 - Verify the value of tip/root circle diameter to check if it is a value larger than 0.0 before measuring the gear.
• 267026 - The SP600 errors out after measuring one lead scan.
• 267025 - When trying to measure gear lead with a TP2, the scan does not stop.
• 267024 - The SP600 keeps crashing into the external helical spur gear.
• 267009 - Get an unhandled exception error when I try to run this Spiral Bevel Gear
• 266993 - After migrating the gear file of GEAR1.8 into GEAR2.2, "Span Over Teeth" is incorrectly set to be evaluated.
• 266854 - This spiral bevel gear program will no longer run. I get an Unhandled Exception Error.
• 266852 - The Spiral Bevel Gear report is not maximized.
• 266846 - The Gear program does not rotate the analog probe for measurement.
• 266808 - Cannot see results on gear software.
• 266639 - The probe crashes during a move with this external helical spur gear.
• 266607 - When I try to run this (Internal Spur) gear measurement, I get an unhandled exception error.
• 266440 - When I try to open this old .GEAR file, I get a couple of memory related errors.
• 266429 - With the latest Gear install, it cannot find/create the part program.
• 266393 - When I try to run this Gear off-line, I get an application error.
• 266364 - PC-DMIS is not maximized when Gear tries to measure a gear.
• 266242 - Single pitch deviation is fpt in ISO.
• 266171 - When I try to import this Gear DEF file, I get an Unhandled Exception Error in Define dialog.
• 266166 - Disabling Pitch measurement leaves me confused.
• 266018 - Profile curve and Helix/Lead curve are wrongly created in two separate report page when unckecking "Measure now" option in Profile Definition dialog.
• 265859 - Add the localized help files into installer and change code to open specified help file according to the current language in GEAR.
• 265850 - Some of the Gear help files have an odd header displayed.
• 265779 - Probe was collision to top surface of bevel gear in DCC reference points.
• 265680 - After aligning gear, the execution dialog sit there doing nothing.
• 265637 - Gear changes the program marking when I use an existing program.
• 265617 - fHb tolerance calculated by Gear as default tolerance is a little different from the value in ISO1328.
• 265529 - The tolerance evaluation range line does not display one line.
• 265528 - Probe crash when measuring profile only.
• 265513 - Gear will not run on my system any longer.
• 264932 - When I program a Clearance Plane for the Gear Alignment, it gets hardcoded into a Move statement as well.
• 264931 - The tab order in the Align Gear dialog is not correct.
• 264239 - Using an INCH gear measurement, some of the parameters on the report are in mm.
• 264024 - Parameter tree window is not updated with the change in Definition dialog.
• 263778 - Cannot measure a gear from the Gear application, only directly from PC-DMIS.
• 263588 - Clearance doesn't work correctly in gear 2.2
• 263360 - The evaluation range does not work in Helix/Lead evaluation.
• 262220 - Each time that a job is sent to the Printer we have to manually press Resume on the printer to complete the job.
• 262213 - Loading Helix/Gear data from the part program takes about 6-7 minutes for this file.
• 262210 - Gear Report Window should open Maximized after execution completes so that it is more visible.
• 264895 - Span: no nom. in report and teeth number is n+1
• 264201 - Gear crashes on startup in Vista X64.
• 264167 - When I define a new bevel gear and press the Calculate Tols button, I get an unhandled exception error.
• 264155 - Customer needs an average value of FA, fHA, ffA and FB, fHB, ffB to be output to report.
• 264130 - When I try to use "Save As" over the current name, I get an error.
• 264119 - Customer needs more information output to Gear report.
• 263956 - Fb/fHb/fBf calculation problem.
• 263950 - Customized report for KA customers.
• 255444 - When I cancel and re-start the Gear alignment procedure, it keeps appending to the existing part program.
• 255441 - The Gear scanning density keeps getting set to 0.001.
• 255529 - Using the spacebar when entering a filename causes the cursor to move to the start of the line.
• 262219 - Cannot shut off PDF output after enabled.
• 262218 - Printer settings not being saved and will not print to a Printer after complete execution....
• 262217 - Clearance Height is coming in from a 1.8 file as 0.00....
• 262216 - The Gear Measurement Setup dialog shows "GEARALN" in the probe file path.
• 262215 - Discrepancy between Pitch/Runout settings dialog and printed report.
• 262783 - The tooth thickness indicates out, but the numbers are within tolerance.
• 262021 - PC-DMIS rotates a wrong tip angle to take two clocking points while aligning gear in PC-DMIS Gear v2.2 RC
• 261959 - Gear always create new part program for Bevel Gear measurement even if I unselect GENERATE item.
• 261889 - Created program has "Relearn" type of scans but the probe is TTP (TP20)
• 261729 – "Dimension over Ball" is not calculated correctly.
• 261704 - The STATUS WINDOW for v2.2 Gear does not stay off. It is turned off after shutting down gear and re-opening.
• 261661 - Wrong setting in log file folder will cause Gear to crash in the second run.
• 261547 – There should be a two zero evaluation value in pitch evaluation for an incomplete gear that's missing a tooth.
• 261519 - Although the "Touch Trigger" option is selected for Scan Type, it still uses analog scanning for profile.
• 261497 - To align a spur gear, I select "Import an initial alignment" to align the gear, but the initial alignment name is incorrectly written in the part program.
• 258553 - Move clearplane is needed in DCC plane for gear alignment.