ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions is rolling out updated Virtual Clamping features for ZEISS INSPECT, its 3D metrology software, alongside a new hardware accessory called the Guided Holding Kit. Together, they replace part-specific clamping fixtures with a universal solution compatible with injection-molded, die-cast, and sheet metal components.
The Guided Holding Kit builds on the existing universal pneumatic device (UPD) and extends it into automated measurement environments. Using up to four contact points, it fixtures parts on a rotation table while ZEISS INSPECT automatically places virtual extensions and collision bodies in the software's measuring room. Software-generated assembly instructions guide the mounting of universal holders before an alignment measurement sequence executes via robot control. Parts can be repeatedly positioned in under 10 minutes.
What's new here is ScanBox compatibility. The Guided Holding Kit is specifically designed to work with the ZEISS ScanBox optical 3D measuring machine, extending fixtureless clamping to automated measurement cells.
On the software side, the update adds a weight-force-compensated mesh analysis. The deformation model underlying all calculations is referenced directly to the measurement, which enables realistic inspection of sheet metal body parts across different installation scenarios, including regions that previously required dedicated fixtures to hold geometry in position.
Virtual Clamping has been in development for ten years and is described by ZEISS as "the preferred solution for many OEMs." The Guided Holding Kit extends that reach into automated production lines, where conventional fixtures would otherwise demand dedicated tooling for every new part variant.
