Increased production demand for higher performance aircraft engines spurred the design of the new GLOBAL Advantage HTA measurement solution for compressor blades. The technology-driven, high-accuracy measurement system is tailored to provide a step-change improvement in measurement throughput, while delivering high-density measurement data for enhanced aerofoil geometry analysis.

The GLOBAL Advantage HTA Platform is based on Hexagon’s advanced HP-O Multi optical scanning probe technology for high-speed non-contact measurement of aero- and land-based compressor blades in shop-floor environments. Utilising frequency-modulated laser interferometry technology, GLOBAL Advantage HTA provides rapid non-contact scanning at single-micron uncertainty to verify blade characteristics including aerofoil, platform, root, shroud and other features. Highly-polished blade surfaces are easily measured, without the need for the secondary coating and cleaning operations required for many non-contact technologies. Using BladeSmart inspection software from Hexagon, the GLOBAL Advantage HTA solution includes an execution command library containing aerofoil, platform and root geometry methods, allowing users to create and deploy measurement programs faster.

“The rigorous demands of increased engine production and the growing trend for shop-floor inspection paved the way for the GLOBAL Advantage HTA, the first comprehensive solution specific to blade inspection,” stated Michael Mariani, director of strategic business development, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America. “The GLOBAL Advantage HTA technology integrates seamlessly into the manufacturing engineering and production operations of aero-engine manufacturers. More importantly, this high-precision metrology solution meets the throughput and flexibility requirements of today’s aerospace industry.”

www.HexagonMI.com