From hard gaging to noncontact

CHALLENGE: Upgrade QC to reduce the amount of time required for dimension measurements.
SOLUTION: Utilize an image-dimension-measuring system that enables hundreds of features to be measured in seconds.
END USER: Autocam Corp. Inc., (800) 747-6978, www.autocam.com.
SOLUTION PROVIDER: Keyence Corp. of America, (888) 539-3623, www.keyence.com.

Autocam Corp. Inc., Marshall, Mich., specializes in producing components for emerging fuel technologies in the automotive industry. These parts require in-process measurement because they play a critical role in transportation safety. In the past, the company utilized five different mechanical hard gages and five different inspectors, resulting in slow measuring speeds and high costs.

To improve in-process measurements, Autocam’s Precision Components Group purchased an image-dimension-measuring system from Keyence Corp. of America, Itasca, Ill., for its QC measurements.

A dedicated CMM programmer is not required for the image-dimension-measuring system from Keyence. Once a program is created, a user loads a part and presses a button. Image courtesy Keyence.

The system from Keyence’s IM series incorporates a specially designed lens to provide a wide field of view. Coupled with an auto-focus capability, the measuring device reportedly ensures that the part is always in focus while a telecentric lens maintains a constant image size regardless of height differences on the target. This allows the accurate measurement of parts with uneven surfaces.

The system automatically adjusts the lighting, focus and program to match each part on the stage. It recognizes the profile and reflective images of each part, compares it to preprogrammed tolerances, indicates “pass” or “fail” for each dimension, and saves the data locally or to a network. With the push of a single button, it prints a full inspection report in 3 seconds.

“With the Keyence IM, we can perform the checks of all five gages with one inspector at more than twice the speed,” said Spencer DePew, quality/gage technician at Autocam.