Inspection & Quality

Tool identification using Balluff industrial RFID increases production efficiency, as it makes incorrect tool allocation or missing tools a thing of the past. This enables optimizing the service time utilization of the tools.

TriMet Consulting, Wichita, Kan., has announced the launch of its consultancy to serve the growing number of manufacturers who want on-demand, expert-level CNC programming, CMM programming and other 3D data-driven services for industrial design-to-inspection applications. The company says it has assembled an "A-team" of industry advisors with market knowledge and hands-on expertise in manufacturing and metrology applications. TriMet Consulting has industry connections with top tier OEMs, a mastery of industry best practices, and an experienced team to deliver superior programming results for CNC milling applications and CMM inspection routines.

Several new features have been added to Mahr Federal's Millimar C1200 Digital IC amplifier, increasing its application range and user security. The new functions include dynamic measurement capability, enhanced display tolerance viewing and password protection for the setup menu.

A wireless crane scale that features a bluetooth handheld indicator which can operate at up to 300 feet away and has a bright, high-contract display is being introduced by Alliance Scale Inc. The Alliance/CAS Caston II Plus crane scale and TWN hand-held indicator let users stand safely away from the heavy load and control operations and view results on a high-contrast 320 x 240 TFT LCD display.

END USER: Greenlee Textron Inc., (815) 784-5127, www.greenlee.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Keyence Corp. of America, (888) 539-3623, www.keyence.com. CHALLENGE: Relieve capacity constraints on conventional coordinate measuring machines. SOLUTION: A portable 3D measurement system.

Spectro Scientific has introduced Version 8 of its SpectrOil Series analyzers. The new capabilities are included in both the SpectrOil 100 series and SpectrOil M series for the elemental analysis of oil, fuel, coolant and water. SpectrOil technology measures trace quantities of elements dissolved or suspended as fine particles in natural or synthetic petroleum-based products.

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence launched the latest addition to its range of laser tracker systems. The Leica Absolute Tracker AT403 offers enhanced portable metrology performance, and presents significant improvements in terms of speed and ease of measurement, according to the company.

Mitutoyo America Corp. announces the release of the i-Checker, an inspection instrument specially designed to calibrate a variety of indicators, including bore gages, Digimatic indicators, dial indicators, dial test indicators and linear gages. The latest iteration of the i-Checker is at least two time more accurate than the previous model, achieving the highest accuracy level in its class of (0.1+0.4L/100)µm, according to the company. At 10mm/sec., speed also is improved 2.5x vs. the current model.

Eriez Flotation Division (EFD) announces the commissioning of a fully automated, four-stage lab-scale column circuit for flotation testing on sulfide and industrial minerals. Operating parameters such as air flow rate, wash water flow rate, reagent addition rates and pH level are regulated using a programmable logic controller (PLC).

Waterjet systems manufacturer Jet Edge Inc., St Michael, Minn., promoted Michael Wheeler to Engineering Manager. Wheeler is responsible for managing all aspects of Jet Edge's engineering, including technical writing, inspection, sales engineering and estimating, research and development and product development.