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About OGP

In 2020, OGP celebrated a legacy of 75 years at the forefront of optical inspection, measurement, and dimensional metrology

Who We Are and What We Do

OGP (Optical Gaging Products) is a division of Quality Vision International Inc (QVI®), a world-leading manufacturer of precision multisensor metrology systems for industrial quality control.  Our metrology systems focus on measurement technologies that help manufacturers monitor dimensional compliance to design specifications.

First introduced in 1992, our famous OGP SmartScope® product family has become one of the world’s most popular and versatile dimensional measurement systems. SmartScope systems are designed and produced at QVI corporate headquarters in Rochester, NY, USA.

Today, OGP offerings have expanded to include shaft measurement systems and a line of innovative multisensor CMMs. OGP products also include 3D scanning systems and measuring systems with unique capabilities to support high volume production.

Our customers include automotive, aerospace, ceramics, electronics, semiconductors, plastics, biomedical device manufacturers and metalworking industries, among others. These manufacturers rely on OGP measurement systems as integral parts of their manufacturing processes.

With over 75 years of technical innovation for metrology, OGP is recognized worldwide as a customer trusted supplier of non-contact and multisensor dimensional measuring systems. In today’s world, improved productivity is everyone’s goal. OGP’s innovative measurement technology provides precision for people – precision measurement systems designed for the people who use them.

75 years of Technical Innovation

In 1945 a new company was formed in Buffalo, NY to support the fledgling optical comparator industry. Engineers Specialties Division (ESD) of the Universal Engraving and Colorplate Company began manufacturing staging fixtures and chart-gages. After moving to Rochester, NY, ESD was purchased by a group of employees and re-formed as Optical Gaging Products, Inc. (OGP®) and Projection Gages, Inc. (PGI).

OGP began a working relationship with Eastman Kodak Company as the exclusive distributor for the Kodak Contour Projector®. OGP rapidly expanded and became a national leader in optical inspection. In 1955, one of the founders of OGP, Edward C. Polidor, formed Automation Gages, Inc., a firm specializing in highly customized inspection equipment. The equipment designed and manufactured by Automation Gages filled such diverse needs as automatic measuring of germanium transistor wafers to evaluation of the wash-and-wear characteristics of textiles.

Automation Gages soon became the national distributor for Bausch and Lomb scientific industrial products, including optical comparators and analytical microscopes. In 1959, OGP found its way to Detroit and became part of the Ex-Cell-O Corporation when Kodak sold the Contour Projector Line.

To meet future challenges, Automation Gages embarked on a program to build the core technologies needed for market leadership. Between 1969 and 1973, they acquired General Measurement Research, Inc. (manufacturer of the Digital Incremental Glass scale system), Visual Inspection Products (designers and builders of chart layout machines and 1:1 pantographs), the optical comparator product lines from Ex-Cell-O and Bendix Measurement Division, and, finally, Optical Gaging Products, Inc. All operations, including manufacturing, were consolidated under one roof in Rochester, New York in 1973.

OGP Innovation Timeline

A reflection of OGP’s 75 Years of Advancing Optical Metrology

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1945

OGP is Founded

OGP and Eastman Kodak introduce the telecentric relay lens principle. Still regarded as the optical system of choice for high precision optical systems, it provides a constant working clearance and erect images.

1956-59

Projectron

The world’s first electronic edge detection system for optical comparators, is introduced. Using photocell technology and analog circuitry, Projectron foreshadows the need for automation in the inspection industry.

1956 – Automation Gages, Inc. founded

1959 – Ex-Cell-O Corporation acquires Eastman Kodak’s Contour Projector® line and OGP®

1966

The AG Electronic Smoothness Evaluator

This addressed a need in the textile industry for inspection and sorting of fabric in order to receive the “Sanforized” label.

1967

AG MODEL 875

The world’s first video inspection system debuts. An early look into the future, the Model 875 clearly demonstrates the capabilities latent in this technology.

1970

First OGP Built Projector

OQ-30, a side screen Contour Projector with a revolutionary granite surface plate foundation, is introduced.

OGP joins Automated Gages.

1976

The Clip

The CLIP (Closed Loop Incremental Positioner) introduction moves automation further forward, making automated positioning of comparator worktables possible.

1977

Mercury Arc Surface Illuminator

This patented innovation, with its unique paraboloidal
reflector, enables high magnification inspection of
surface details for the first time.

1979

OQ Debuts

The world’s first side table optical comparator, dubbed the “projector for the eighties,” quickly becomes an industry favorite due to its innovative design.

1980

Vidicom Qualifier 863

A remarkable machine, combines solid state electronics, gray scale image processing, and programmable magnification into an affordable, non-contact measuring system.

1984

Vidiprobe Contour Projector

The Vidiprobe introduction effectively bridges contour
projector and video inspection technologies.

1985

Q-See

OGP leads the way again
with the introduction of the
first video system designed
specifically for ease of use
and low cost.

1986

Intelligent Qualifier 2000

Introduced as one of the world’s first multisensor
coordinate measurement systems, the IQ-2000 can
be equipped with vision, touch probe, and laser
scanning sensors.

1991

SmartScope Launched

SmartScope® brings fully automatic 3-D measuring
to the benchtop at half the price of previous
systems. Its color camera, programmable zoom lens,
and easy to use software quickly make it the world’s
most popular non-contact measuring system.

1994

OGP reinvents the Benchtop Comparator with TopBench

Features normally found only on
larger systems are now available in
one compact, benchtop system.

AccuCentric Innovation

These revolutionary optics are
the first to display fully corrected
images for both direct projection
and surface illumination.

1995

OHA-50, Special-Purpose System

An ultra-accuracy, small travel system designed
specifically to meet the needs of the growing
micro-manufacturing industry. Volumetric accuracy is better than one micron (0.001 mm).

1996

SmartRing is introduced

A patented, multiple ring LED illuminator offers
unparalleled flexibility for video measuring systems.
With it, lighting is controlled for brightness, angle of
incidence, and direction.

2000

SmartScope Flash & Flare Debut

A new patented profile illumination featuring a linear array of LED lights is introduced. LEDs are
illuminated sequentially to track the optical system as it moves in the x-axis. The number of LEDs illuminated,
and their individual brightness, is changed depending on the zoom magnification level to match the numeric aperture of the optics.

2002

TeleStar Zoom Lens

Designed and built specifically for precision video metrology providing a phenomenally clear high
contrast image with virtually zero distortion.

2003

Rainbow Probe

Capable of extreme accuracy for surface topography by using the concept of chromatic dispersion, this sensor
determines change in the height of a surface by
measuring the color of the reflected light it sees.

2004

SmartScope Quest/Vantage 650 Unveiled

This new top-of-the-line system combines large load
capacity, outstanding accuracy, extensive
measurement volume, and multisensor capability (SP 25
scanning probe) to open the application envelope to
parts previously not suitable for optical equipment.

2009

Ground-breaking Optical Comparator Technology

Innovative all-LED TruLight® illumination, a world-first use in optical comparators and eCAD®, an electronic overlay package that allows a CAD model to project virtual charts onto the comparator screen, for
comparison with part images are applied to new benchtop
horizontal Contour Projectors®.

2010

QVI’s Most Precise Laser Point Sensor Launched

The TeleStar® TTL interferometric laser uses innovative electro-optical technology. In interferometry, light from a single coherent source is typically split into two beams that travel in different optical paths, which are then combined again to produce wave interference. The resolution obtained with interferometry is correlated directly to the wavelength of the light.

2014

ZONE3 Metrology Software Introduced

The first 3D CAD-based metrology software, ZONE3®, combines all metrology software functionality into one
package designed to work with SmartScope multisensor
measurement systems.

2015

Newest Generation of Coordinate Measuring Systems

FlexPoint™ is the first high-accuracy flexible
gaging system for measurement of small precision parts, represents an alternative to custom hard gaging.

2017

TurnCheck System Addresses Shaft Measurement Uncertainty

QVI® develops a new telecentric optical system
specially for shaft measurement and coupled
it with a new mechanical system that allows the
optics/illumination/camera to scan the shaft while it is
rotating.

2018

New Optical Point Sensors

VersaFlex™ packages up to three sensors in one cluster. The optical/video probe combines precision optics, imaging, and illumination in a compact and powerful
sensor assembly small enough for use on an articulating probe head.

The TeleStar interferometric laser is packaged into a “pen” to allow this very high resolution sensor to be used with the VersaFlex cluster, or deployed off-axis on systems that do not use the TeleStar zoom lens.

Rochester, NY, USA

Our main headquarters, engineering, and manufacturing campus is located in Rochester, NY, a global center of excellence for optics and imaging science. Our campus near downtown Rochester encompasses more than 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

Dayton, OH, USA

Opened at its present location in 2012, the Quality Vision Services’ (QVS) Dayton facility is the headquarters and U.S. Customer Center for our Certified Comparator Products division. The facility includes a total of 19,500 square feet for manufacturing, warehouse, office, training, and demonstration. Dayton is the site of CCP’s extensive comparator re-manufacturing operations.

Phoenix, AZ, USA

Arizona has been the home to QVI’s western regional headquarters since 1987. The Phoenix location is the western headquarters for OGP, QVS and VIEW-Asia.

Hofheim-Wallau, Germany

OGP Messtechnik GmbH, a subsidiary of OGP, is headquartered in Hofheim-Wallau, near Frankfurt. OGP Messtechnik sells and services systems in Germany. This state-of-the-art facility also includes demonstration and training facilities, an environmentally controlled metrology lab, and spare parts warehouse.

Singapore

Optical Gaging (S) Pte Ltd (OGS), an OGP subsidiary,  provides sales and technical support for Asia Pacific and Middle East sales representative network. The full-service Singapore Customer Center supports product demonstrations, training, customer service, spare parts, repair, and re-build.

Shanghai, China

Our Shanghai facility, located in the Pu Dong New District, is the China headquarters for OGP operations. Shanghai has complete facilities for product demonstration, application development, training, customer support, and services to support OGP’s channel partners throughout mainland China. Shanghai also manages offices and service networks in Beijing, Suzhou, Xi’an, and Wuhan, to provide sales, service and application support to our customers throughout China.

Budapest, Hungary

Our facility in Budapest is home to Kotem, Ltd., world leaders in GD&T evaluation and best fitting software for computer aided manufacturing. In addition to OGP software development staff, the facility also includes show rooms for demonstration and application development on OGP products for customers in Central and Eastern Europe.

Ottawa, Canada

Our Ottawa facility is the support center for ShapeGrabber systems worldwide. The facility houses applications support staff and includes demonstration and training areas for 3D laser scanning systems.

Turin, Italy

Our OGP branch based in Turin, Italy, specializes in our Itaca flexible gaging systems and software for applications requiring tactile probing.

Tokyo, Japan

QVI Japan is a partnership between QVI and YKT Corporation. QVI Japan houses a staff dedicated to customer service and software localization and special application development for the Japanese market.

Pune, India

The Pune office joins the existing office in Bangalore and will act as base of operations for sales and service of OGP products.

Bangalore, India

With a head office located in Bangalore, and branch office in Pune, QVI India serves the growing manufacturing sector providing OGP sales and service support. The Bangalore Demo Centre showcases the latest and advanced systems developed by OGP.

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Industry Affiliations

ISO Quality Systems

Quality Vision International is an ISO 9001:2015 registered company. The scope of certification covers QVI and subsidiary operations in North America.

Quality Vision Services – our field service and calibration division for North America – is certified to the ISO 17025-2005 standard for testing and calibration laboratories.

ISO 9001:2015 Certificate

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OGP Authorized Distributors-Asia

OGP Authorized Distributors-Asia

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