The New Industry Standard: Portable 3D Metrology Certification

Published: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - 11:17

Welcome to the winter edition of CMSC World. I want to touch on one of our biggest accomplishments of 2013—the Level-One Certification Program for Portable 3D Metrology. This program was requested and supported by many CMSC members. With your help and the tireless work of the Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) Certification Committee, it is now a reality. Level-One Certification assesses a candidate’s knowledge of foundational theory and practice common to most portable 3D metrology devices. More important, certified professionals entering our community promote standardized practices of measurement and reinforce the complexities of the metrology industry.

From an employer’s perspective, certified employees are a relatively inexpensive asset to reinforce customer confidence in your company’s measurement and inspection capabilities. The CMS certification program is important to a diverse group of people connected to our industry, such as users, customers, and manufacturers of close-tolerance, large-volume industrial coordinate measurement systems, software, and peripherals.

The CMS Level-One Certification signifies a professional who operates portable 3D metrology equipment to collect measurements and interpret the data. This person is responsible for all data collection phases, including survey and interpretation activities. The CMS Level-Two Certification on a portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM) will be launched at the 2014 CMSC. This is a practical, device-specific performance assessment. The candidate must use a metrology instrument to collect a series of measurements on an artifact, then analyze specific features of that artifact.

The Level-One Certification applicant is required to have two years of experience in portable 3D metrology, four references from those in the portable 3D field, a declaration of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Coordinate Metrology Society, and lastly, completion of a written exam. The CMS provides an examination matrix for those preparing for Level-One Certification. Certification program guidelines and application forms are available on the CMS website.

Upon successful completion of the Level-One examination, the candidate will become a Certified Portable 3D Metrologist. Once certified, a metrologist will have the personal satisfaction of receiving accreditation and the industry recognition for demonstrating professional capability. The individual will be listed in the online CMS database of active certified metrologists, which is searchable by name or location.

The CMS has compiled a list of study documents to help prepare for the exam, which covers the following areas:
• Interpreting design documents and requirements
• Measurement device knowledge
• Pre-measurement planning
• Performing measurement operations
• Analyzing data and ethics

I hope you take the challenge to become a Certified Portable 3D Metrologist. I also look forward to seeing all of you at CMSC 2014 this July 21–25, in Charleston, South Carolina.

About The Author

Ron Hicks

Ron Hicks is the 2013–2014 executive committee chairperson of the Coordinate Metrology Society. He is also the president of API Services Inc.