Simplifying micromeasurement: General Industry Coverage

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END USER: Rohde & Schwarz, (888) 837-8772, www.rohde-schwarz.us. CHALLENGE: Simplify and speed up measurement of micro parts and features. SOLUTION: Optical 3-D measurement system that employs focus-variation technology. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Alicona Imaging GmbH, (630) 372-9900, www.alicona.com

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Rohde & Schwarz, a global supplier of electronic test and measurement equipment based in Munich, Germany, sees quality assurance as not only a step in the production process, but as a way to add value. By using a simpler and more reliable measurement strategy, the company felt it could increase productivity and reduce production costs.

To help accomplish this, Rohde & Schwarz has standardized on a single measurement system: the InfiniteFocus high-resolution optical 3-D measurement system from Alicona Imaging GmbH, Graz, Austria. Rohde & Schwarz uses the optical system to measure the mechanical components it produces for its devices and the tools to make some of those components.

Rohde & Schwarz supplies its equipment to companies involved in wireless communications, including broadcast networks, mobile phone manufacturers and electronics manufacturers.

“To maintain our stringent quality standards, we manufacture our own value-added components,” said Gerhard Kokott, head of the quality management team at Rohde & Schwarz’s manufacturing plant in Teisnach, Germany. “We use InfiniteFocus to measure our complete spectrum of parts, from printed circuit boards to tool-and-die components to turned and milled parts. After using it for less than 1 year, we have increased process reliability, optimized production processes, reduced production costs and improved work flows.”

Rohde & Schwarz is using one InfiniteFocus system at its Teisnach plant and is planning to purchase another system for a manufacturing plant in Munich.

All images courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz

A QC technician using Alicona’s InfiniteFocus system at Rohde & Schwarz’s Teisnach plant.

InfiniteFocus combines the functions of a micro coordinate measurement machine with those of a surface measurement device, allowing users to measure form and roughness with the same system. The system achieves a vertical resolution down to 10nm, even across a large vertical scan range, according to Alicona.

The InfiniteFocus system measures complex geometries in formed and machined surfaces. The system employs a novel illumination technology to automatically adjust to different surface properties. It can measure a range of materials, including compound and coated materials. The 3-D measurement system also employs focus-variation technology, using the small depth of focus of an optical system to extract depth information.

Rohde & Schwarz’s Teisnach plant uses InfiniteFocus to measure:

n printed circuit boards and photo masks,

n drilled holes,

n galvanized and sputtered surfaces,

n calibration disks,

n Teflon-coated surfaces,