HOMMEL-ETAMIC Wavemove

The Jenoptik Industrial Metrology division offers a fully automated measuring station, which can be operated directly by staff on the production line. The HOMMEL-ETAMIC wavemove combines high-precision roughness and contour measurement technology with innovative CNC technology and eight fully automatic CNC axes to measure both roughness and contours in a single measuring run, recording as many data points as necessary. The system is well-suited to automotive production.

The station is integrated directly into the production process as an SPC measuring station. The workpiece can be clamped into the measuring system at any stage of production—wavemove recognizes the workpiece and automatically suggests the predefined measuring points via the operating program.

The wavemove allows manufacturers to perform twist measurements on sealing surfaces. On camshafts, roughness is typically measured at bearing points, in grooves and on the cam itself. The machine is also capable of performing highly complex measurement tasks on and in cylinder blocks. In this application, roughness measurements are performed in cylinder bores, on sealing surfaces and in the crankshaft bearing channel. In practice, these components have up to 70 defined measuring points, which are processed sequentially in a single measuring run.

Once the workpiece is clamped correctly, the operator uses a DMC hand-held scanner to capture the data matrix code. Depending on the stage of production and the workpiece type, the operator selects the appropriate measuring program and starts the measuring run.

The measurement process itself is fully automatic—the measuring probes independently travel to the predefined measuring points on the workpiece, and the movable axes allow the measuring column to be moved upwards and downwards, crossways and lengthways. In addition, the pick-up element for the workpiece is mounted on a 360° turntable and can also be moved in different directions. Similarly, the traverse unit and measuring probe can be tilted, swiveled and rotated. This freedom of movement allows the sleeve to move the roughness probe to any measurement position, even those that are difficult to access.

If required, the contour probe can be operated in parallel with the roughness probe, which provides convenient top and bottom measurement via two probe heads. The high degree of flexibility in axis positioning means that the probes can access almost any point on the workpiece.

 The software is designed to react flexibly to changes, and the presentation of measurement results can be customized, with printed reports including a high level of detail based on the customer's specific requirements. Any characteristics falling outside tolerance limits are flagged visually, and immediate reactive measures can be initiated by the machine operator thanks to the system's close proximity to the production line.

The measuring station itself is designed to meet the requirements of manufacturing environments. The motorized positioning unit is mounted on a granite plate and can be programmed to move the measuring column on an air slide. The control panel for the WAVECONTROL provides a simple interface that can be used to program the CNC programs. The operator uses a joystick to navigate to the relevant positions and then stores these values in the measuring program, ensuring that preparations for the fully automated measurement process can be quickly completed.

An optional safety system can be integrated into the loading process. A light curtain and sensors are used to monitor component clamping and check that staff are operating the system properly. If any deviations are identified, the measuring system switches to safe mode, which prevents damage to the component and the machine and protects the workers from injury.

The machine can be used for crankshafts and camshafts, as well as for cylinder blocks or cylinder heads. The design enables manufacturers to move the measuring station straight from the measuring room to the production line — an overhead crane lifts the components and places them directly into the clamping devices in the measuring station.

Measurement tasks required for crankshafts include roughness measurement on the main and pin bearings and the thrust surfaces. The contour probe can be used to measure crowning on the main bearing and pin bearing, as well as groove radii, at the same time.