CMM purchase-Brand and other questions

Hi all,

firstly I would like great everyone because it will be my probably second post on reddit :).

I came here with problem which my company facing right now. We need to buy CMM machine which will be used for measuring plastic parts with complicated shapes (we are producing for automotive but also for Lexmark- parts for printers). Our parts are not big, the biggest part for sure is not larger than 1m long and 0,5 m width and height. We are thinking which brand we should use. Our customer suggested that if we buy CMM which will be compatible with PC-DIMSS software they can share their programs which we could use on our CMM. I have some questions regarding this topic:

1. Which brand we should consider?

2. Is it hard to learn PC-DIMSS for guy who have experience (7 years) with polyworks software and using 3D arm with scanner? I never programmed anything 😀 Only when I was at university I had programming lessons on very very very basic level 😀

3. I know that CMM is super solution for measuring but I wonder if this device is really capable to measure anything? I am worried what if I have dimensions which is reffered to datum which are for example on 4 sides of part… So how I mount this part on fixture to have free accees to all of those 4 sides? On 3D arm I scaned the part than move part to different position, scan other sides and than in software I could merge those scans. Is this even possible on CMM? (I mean merging )

4. How much could cost us to buy CMM (approximately).

Our parts are plastic parts which are injected. Lowest tolerance which I saw on drawing is I think 0,05. there are linear dimensions, diameters some GD&T and angles.

If you need more information I will try to provide it 🙂

Thank you in advance guys and girls!