My most recent CMM experience left me very unhappy.
The sales guy for Hexagon Metrology demoed a Romer Arm, and everything looked great.
I went for training for a weekend in Los Angeles - a lot to swallow but I got what I needed, or so I thought.
I got home and my machine had been delivered with a differing version of the software. Problem one.
I called the sales guy, who came down and walked me through what I needed to know at that time. He also informed me that he was going to work for the competition next week and I'd never see him again, but the guys at Hexagon would take care of me.
When I identified new challenges, Hexagon sent out the trainer. That was good for that instance, but they were not enthusiastic about sending me somebody every time I had questions. So I asked for the manual so I could consult it whenever I ventured into new territory.
There was no manual. They ceased maintaining documentation for the user several years ago. They gave me a 1-800 number that rang to a phone on somebody's desk several states away, and they'd get back to me in 48 hours.
And they gave me a link to a forum, where a bunch of users with differing machines and software corresponded. Sometimes it was helpful, but usually not. It was like learning to fly an airliner by hanging out in the airport and talking to people passing by.
Now you have an environment where there are multiple skilled users, so you'd probably not suffer as I did. I was the only person in the company with a little bit of training and some previous experience on a couple of RAM Optical systems, which were well documented and user friendly, albeit without all the capability of the Romer Arm.
But I felt that I got left high and dry by the supplier once the sale was made, and I would never buy another system without first determining if there was current documentation first. I would not rely on promises of support.
The sales guy for Hexagon Metrology demoed a Romer Arm, and everything looked great.
I went for training for a weekend in Los Angeles - a lot to swallow but I got what I needed, or so I thought.
I got home and my machine had been delivered with a differing version of the software. Problem one.
I called the sales guy, who came down and walked me through what I needed to know at that time. He also informed me that he was going to work for the competition next week and I'd never see him again, but the guys at Hexagon would take care of me.
When I identified new challenges, Hexagon sent out the trainer. That was good for that instance, but they were not enthusiastic about sending me somebody every time I had questions. So I asked for the manual so I could consult it whenever I ventured into new territory.
There was no manual. They ceased maintaining documentation for the user several years ago. They gave me a 1-800 number that rang to a phone on somebody's desk several states away, and they'd get back to me in 48 hours.
And they gave me a link to a forum, where a bunch of users with differing machines and software corresponded. Sometimes it was helpful, but usually not. It was like learning to fly an airliner by hanging out in the airport and talking to people passing by.
Now you have an environment where there are multiple skilled users, so you'd probably not suffer as I did. I was the only person in the company with a little bit of training and some previous experience on a couple of RAM Optical systems, which were well documented and user friendly, albeit without all the capability of the Romer Arm.
But I felt that I got left high and dry by the supplier once the sale was made, and I would never buy another system without first determining if there was current documentation first. I would not rely on promises of support.
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