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News Release from: Tru Corporation | Subject: Qualifier - component measuring machine
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 30 August 2002
Dedicated measuring machine keeps pace
with lasers
Dedicated laser-profiled components measuring machine proves to be faster, more convenient, than CMM or surface table-plus-gauges set-ups, says Lincolnshire sheet metal subcontractor.
Lincoln-based Micrometric has been at the forefront of precision laser machining for 20 years, and is justifiably proud of its process knowledge and work quality Over the last few years, as the nature of its work widened and customer QA requirements strengthened, the company became aware of enhancements required in its component inspection facilities which led to the installation of the UK's first Trumpf 'Qualifier' - component measuring machine, earlier this year
Previously Micrometric's inspection facility comprised both a CMM (coordinate measuring machine) and conventional surface table, comparators and gauges.
But as its laser processing machines were being asked to produce ever-more complex components, the highly-skilled, time-consuming, conventional inspection process was becoming an inhibiting factor in the better utilisation of the company's extensive production facility.
Being a 'laser wise' company, Micrometric didn't have to go to the supermarket to become aware of developments in the scanning of components.
Its own 'scan' of the market led to three companies who could supply automated sheet-metal inspection machines and from these Micrometric chose Trumpf, and its recently introduced 'Qualifier'.
When asked, why the Qualifier? Micrometric's Technical Director Neil Main replied, "We believed in its engineering, it just looked the right way to do things." A response like this may sound rather subjective, but it was made after an objective comparison of specifications and demonstrations which showed the Qualifier to be more versatile and more accurate than its competitors.
Being a supplier of laser-profiled blanks, not all of the machine's features - such as its ability to measure the height of punched or pressed forms in sheet-metal - were of interest to Micrometric.
But its speed certainly was.
In this area some of the figures quoted are quite staggering.
Unlike other machines, Qualifier's axes do not pause when scanning.
Data is captured 'on the fly' at a rate of 50 images and more than 20million pixels per second.
This continuous scanning and recording of the component data - as opposed to the interrupted scanning of alternative systems - considerably speeds up the measuring process, which in turn has enabled Micrometric to carry out inspection as fast as production, minimising waiting and maximising uptime on its production machines.
In principle Qualifier traverses the part to be inspected in a series of 'slices' using a vertical beam of light.
This offers considerable accuracy benefits over alternative systems, such as those using 'swinging beams' which create 'shadows' at component edges.
Qualifier is therefore between 2 and 5 times as accurate as alternatives.
It is this feature more than any other, which led Micrometric, a company famed for its precision profiling, to choose this machine.
Speaking in 'old money' terms Neil Main states, "Qualifier is accurate to within 'a thou', whereas the nearest alternative is only good to within '2-thou'.
Two additional features which appealed to Micrometric were its reverse-engineering' ability, and - particularly - its graphical display.
Much of the work carried out by them involves the creation of complex gear and spline profiles.
Plots of the original component CAD profile can be displayed, around which the design tolerance band can be laid in a colour.
Within this band another warning band can be laid by the part producer and any features of the measured component which are outside these (producers) dimensions - but within the design tolerance - can be displayed in another colour.
Obviously features which fall outside the design tolerance are displayed in red.
This facility gives an easy to understand 'advanced-warning' of any drift, which could lead to part rejection unless action is taken soon.
This pro-active approach is extremely useful in laser-profiling, giving - for example - an early warning of a drift in the beam alignment.
In this respect Qualifier could also be regarded as a machine-checker as well as a component inspector.
Many of Qualifier's features - such as the tolerancing described above - have come from customer feedback.
As the UK's first, and indeed one of the worlds first users of Qualifier, Micrometric is a partner in an on-going user-feature and software enhancement programme.
The machine has been well accepted within the company and is regularly used by three operators.
It is helping Micrometric to turn a highly-skilled, labour-intensive, time-consuming, machine-delaying operation, into an automated, easy to use process with significant side-benefits.
The inbuilt logging, storage and dissemination of component quality and associated statistical data, enables Micrometric to meet existing customer needs, and all present and known future QA requirements of ISO 9000.
It is factors such as these which enabled Neil Main to change his original assessment of 'pleased with' to one of 'delighted with' the installation of the Trumpf Qualifier.
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