Non-contact coordinate measuring system

A program product stored on a computer readable storage device, the program product operative to measure coordinates when executed, the computer readable storage device comprising program code for:

• deriving spatial coordinate data from positional encoder data and detected laser beams, the detected laser beams having been reflected from an exterior surface of a component and emitted from a slidably moveable source coupled to one of the component and a machine for manufacturing the component and;
• modeling a geometric profile of the exterior surface of the component based on the derived spatial coordinate data;
• and
• rendering the modeled geometric profile.

A system comprising:

• a laser assembly slidably coupled to a track and configured to direct a laser beam onto an exterior surface of a component, wherein the track is coupled to one of the component and a machine for manufacturing the component;
• a positional encoder configured to detect the position of the laser assembly;
• a laser encoder configured to detect the laser beam directed from the laser assembly and reflected from the exterior surface of the component;
• and
• a computer system coupled to the laser encoder and positional encoder and configured to render a geometric profile of the exterior surface of the component based on the position of the laser assembly and the laser beam detected with the laser encoder by performing actions including:
• deriving spatial coordinate data from the detected laser beam, the detected laser beam having been reflected from the exterior surface of the component;
• modeling a geometric profile of the exterior surface of the component based on the derived spatial coordinate data and the detected position of the laser assembly;
• and
• rendering the modeled geometric profile.