Created specifically for the Hexagon Absolute Arm, TubeShaper is the most advanced tube measurement software Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence has ever produced. Drawing on 30 years’ experience in the tube industry, it combines the best features of its predecessors with cutting-edge technology to create software that is highly advanced yet totally intuitive, even to users with little experience of tube, pipe or bent-wire measurement.

Designed to maximise production efficiency and reduce scrap, TubeShaper features direct connections to CNC tube bending machines, automatic measurement plan creation and direct import of CAD models in a user-friendly package.

Offering a state-of-the-art user interface, TubeShaper enables you to fully harness the measurement potential of the Hexagon Absolute Arm for all tube inspection applications. The calculation and application of spring-back values, bend corrections, reverse engineering and part-to-CAD tube inspection are now easier and faster than ever before, guaranteeing time and cost savings right there on the shop floor in a single and simple package.

TubeShaper is the product of over three decades of experience in tube inspection, and was developed in close collaboration with some of the world’s leading tube producers. The result is a software package that is perfectly suited to the needs of today’s quality managers and shop-floor users. Measurement plans are created automatically during first-part inspection or can be entirely defined and set up prior to measurement, making batch measurements faster while guaranteeing repeatability. Full tube assemblies including welded brackets, hangers and flanges can also be checked thanks to TubeShaper’s advanced CAD engine and the tactile probe of the Hexagon Absolute Arm. Tube measurement software has never been so complete.

• Bending machine interface
  Real-time direct interface to CNC tube benders enables correctional data to be calculated and applied within your production cycle, streamlining operations and almost completely eliminating scrap. Multiple bending machines can be supported by a single seat of TubeShaper.


• Total spring-back management
  Preloaded tube projects supplied as standard in TubeShaper enable easy calculation of spring-back and elongation values. These are saved in an easy-access library for application on other tubes, speeding up subsequent corrections.


• Measurement plans for rapid batch measurement
  Every time a new tube is measured it is automatically saved as a measurement plan which can be run later at any time. Measurement plans can also be defined offline prior to measurement, meaning your intervention time on the shop floor is reduced, yet accuracy and repeatability are guaranteed.


• Automatic report creation
  Measurement reports can be created automatically enabling you to monitor bender performance over time and spot problems on the shop floor before they become critical.


• Customisable report formatting
  Drag-and-drop tools allow you to create customised and branded reports to ensure the report data is displayed exactly as you need it.


• CAD data import and export
  CAD models can be imported into TubeShaper in IGES and STEP formats as standard, though other popular CAD formats are also optionally available. For reverse engineering applications, tube and geometric data can be exported as an IGES or SV file (tube only).


• Tube probe and touch probe measurement
  Users can swap between tube probes and touch probes on the fly inside TubeShaper without any need for recalibrations. This makes it ideal for checking the position of geometric features like welded flanges and brackets. Feature measurement is supplied as standard with every licence of TubeShaper.


• User profiles
  TubeShaper is designed for two types of user; those who need full functionality and those who need speed, so the software has two different interfaces. The Engineering Interface allows full access to all functions, while the Shop-floor Interface allows access to the main software functions via a simplified user screen that has large icons for touch screen use, or to guide the software through the Hexagon Absolute Arm.


• Intuitive graphical user interface
  Created to speed up operations with minimal training, TubeShaper has been carefully designed to guide the user to the most important functions with the absolute minimum of mouse clicks. Navigating messy drop-down menus is a thing of the past. TubeShaper is also compatible with Windows 8.1 touchscreens.


• Fast reverse engineering
  Without the complex point clouds or scan data created by laser scanning, TubeShaper can output CAD-compatible measurement data for reverse engineering applications in minutes rather than hours.


• Legacy system compatibility
  TubeShaper can run on any Hexagon Absolute Arm as well as the previous generation CIMCORE Infinite and ROMER CIMCORE models. The software can also import and run files from SupraVision, G-Tube and DOCS tube inspection platforms to ensure seamless upgrades of existing systems.