Streaming first article inspection

Wireless devices were almost non-existent in the ’80s when I grew up. Other than a TV remote and the wireless home phone, all electronic devices were wired. Obviously, we are a long way from those days with cell phones, Bluetooth and cars that are connected to the web. Wireless devices now dominate the electronics market, and every imaginable device now offers users connectivity options.

Industrial tools and equipment are experiencing the same advances. As we have entered the fourth industrial revolution, dubbed the Industrial Internet of Things, new technologies have entered the market and there are new career paths for people who can implement these new technologies. Today, machinists, tool makers and engineers want tools that have modern features like those found on cell phones and tablets. Manufacturers have responded to the demand by introducing a myriad of tools that can connect and interact with mobile devices and computers. Metrology tools are some of the best examples.

First article inspection (FAI) is a necessary evil in modern shops that strive for world class quality. FAI, as the name implies, is a very thorough check of the first part to ensure that the setup is good and that subsequent parts will be dimensionally correct. Performing FAI requires the machinist or quality inspector to measure and record a lot of dimensions, which can be a tedious job.

Complex parts can take a long time to process through FAI, and that can lead to delays in production and force a machine tool to sit idle for hours. What’s more, having to measure and record a large volume of measurements is not only time consuming, it also provides many opportunities for error. Automating the data collection is the surest way to reduce measurement time and eliminate recording errors.

Gauges with wired communication capabilities have been used for automated measurement for a couple of decades. However, wired connections can be cumbersome, and are not compatible with mobile devices like tablets and cell phones. Fortunately, all the gauge makers now offer a Bluetooth wireless option on their tools. Bluetooth technology makes connecting to mobile devices seamless and eliminates the awkwardness of a wire tether.

That said, Bluetooth measuring tools offer no advantage if they are not integrated into a system, and this is where things often fall apart for shops trying to go wireless. Automating activities like FAI takes a fair amount of planning if it is going to be successful.

If your company is collecting FAI data, then there will be customers, quality professionals and possibly government representatives who will want reports. Step one is to determine how the data will be formatted and where it will be stored.

Engineering teams need to create electronic forms that will be used to collect the data, and the forms need to be laid out so that the order of operations is clear. Users need to know what features are being measured and what tool is to be used. If these digital forms are vague, then it is likely the data will not be collected correctly, and that can cause major issues if said data is used for statistical calculations or will be interpreted by another party.