How Much is Verisurf Software?
Naturally we often are asked, “what does Verisurf cost?” Verisurf does not cost its customers money, it makes them money. While pricing is related to the software modules and options purchased for your specific requirements.
While there is a market-appropriate purchase price for Verisurf for regular use by industrial customers, the educational version is a very small cost for institutions of higher learning as it builds productive and much-needed and trained personnel for the workforce. There is also a free 30-day evaluation available of the software even for non-educational organizations.
Cost is amortized quickly for organizations who switch from other software to Verisurf, and to those who employ the technology it complements along with the software when they are new adopters of the technology. It is moderately priced, especially when compared to competitive software, and for all of the functionality it provides. It is typically considerably lower cost than the software or multiple software required to perform all of the tasks that Verisurf supports fully.
Companies that implement Verisurf with experienced consultation and commitment to getting the most out of the software for which it is capable, will want to add more of it and very frequently recommend it to their partners, suppliers and customers. Verisurf customers will realize cost savings that will be realized by performing tasks faster and with less preparation, performed by workers who will be considerably more productive with greater job satisfaction, and will do so with much less training than similar software requires.
In a time where skilled workers are scarce, Verisurf will allow new users to get up and running quicker and with less errors and allow their company to get more product out the door faster and with less scrap and waste. Customers and prospects of Verisurf customers will be pleased with the quality of the product, the use of process control that gives them comfort and assurance of a reliable supply, and therefore Verisurf will allow adopters to obtain and retain business better.
Who Makes Verisurf?
Verisurf Software, Inc. – Anaheim, California, United States, a privately owned corporation.
What is Verisurf Used For?
Inspection
Verisurf software is three-dimensional (3D) measurement software, often referred to in the market segment as “metrology” software. It is used mostly with portable and stationary, fixed CMMs (coordinate measuring machines). It is used as operational “plug-in” type software that will operate the device, create programs that run motorized robotic-like CMMs, and similarly it creates “programs” for non-automated manual versions of CMMs. In the latter case, the programs are user-prompted measuring sequences that control the process, make it faster, and can be run by lower cost, entry-level operators.
Three-dimensional measuring instruments, both portable and fixed, are used in all varieties of industries to inspect manufactured goods precisely. They are even used for process equipment for products that you would not think of needing precise measuring equipment. Such examples are breweries and dog food producers. Measurements are used for Quality Control (QC) as a means of documenting compliance with design criteria and contract performance, not to mention safety (especially key in aerospace, automotive, and medical applications). The QC function of metrology is one major aspect in manufacturing that is relied upon for determining form, fit and function of manufactured parts and assemblies. In addition to determining if the product meets the aforementioned needs, it also determines if the product conforms to international standards for dimensional checks. That further contributes to the monitoring required for best-practices of process control. Besides measurement inspection and reporting for end-use manufactured parts and assemblies, Verisurf is heavily relied upon for building, verifying and documenting the quality of manufacturing tooling. Even the machinery that forms, stamps, machines or molds various metals, plastics, composites, or other materials into finished parts are inspected and built with Verisurf.
Verisurf software is designed and enhanced by professionals who have experience in manufacturing and metrology. Improvements come from the expertise of those company personnel and from customers (users) who ask for new features, and they get them. It is designed critically to reduce mouse-clicks and button-pushes (among many other things), and to be easily understood and implemented so that very little training is required to be effective with its use. Often other software in this space that is said to be “user-friendly” is also rudimentary in functionality. This is not the case with Verisurf. It is very powerful in achieving all needed functions and many that aren’t even thought of by customers who have bought it.
Reverse Engineering
Another key, alternative use of Verisurf is reverse engineering (sometimes referred to as digitizing). For parts or assemblies that do not already have a 3D CAD (computer-aided design) model, Verisurf works with 3D CMM devices in either online or offline mode to gather, organize, and engineer the shape/size dataset into a usable, productive form. The two common forms of this dataset are a “pointcloud” or a “mesh” (sometimes called an “stl”). The process utilizes various technical design approaches to convert the data into a 3D model that can be used by all sorts of manufacturing technologies. A 3D model is almost always needed for manufacturing these days.
Reverse engineering (RE) datasets are acquired by either A) contact or B) non-contact CMM-type devices. For type A contact devices, one is standard point-by-point CMMs, individually recorded one at a time. Another contact method is by CMM tactile scanning whereby the probe is dragged across the part surface to obtain a stream of points (the earlier mentioned pointcloud). Type B data acquisition uses the increasingly, and now probably prevalent, process of non-contact scanning. Possibly the most common form of non-contact scanning is a device that uses a laser beam emitted by the measuring device and captured by an integrated camera, also part of the measuring device. Not to confuse things too much, but there are also types of camera-based non-contact technologies that can acquire a “scan.” While this might not be what is normally thought of when someone scans with a moving emitter-capturer device, it is a little more like taking a picture. Regardless, the non-contact technologies tend to be lumped into one category referred to as non-contact scanning.
As earlier mentioned, Verisurf captures, organizes, cleans and normalizes the data providing the functionality to make the desired 3D model. That model can be created as one of two primary use-cases. A) an “as-built” version that is used to provide the shape and measurements of what the manufacturing process(es) yields, or B) it can be turned into an exacting “design intent” of the part which needs to perform form, fit and function on a next assembly or it is planned for some other use by itself. For process A the as-built model is used to improve processes, or to match other processes to coincide with size and shape of the as-built part. It could also be used to engineer corrective actions and processes for the manufacturing workflow. Process B design intent development involves “normalizing” the gathered data using suppositions and engineering best practices to produce a “perfect” model that approximates what the original designer intended to have manufactured. Since no manufactured part is perfect, the objective in Process B is to make a nearly perfect part. Either way, there was no existing CAD model but there needs to be. It is needed to manufacture the part(s) or provide a piece of the manufacturing puzzle. A few examples of the need for RE: replacing an old part for which there is no model but some piece of equipment needs it to replace a broken or worn part, or you want to make a cool aftermarket add-on for a car or aircraft or anything, and there needs to be a model of it.
