Inspection & Quality

END USER: Kluba Machine LLC, (636) 390-4088. SOLUTION PROVIDER: CNC Software Inc., (800) 228-2877, www.mastercam.com. CHALLENGE: Improve cycle times and spindle uptime while maintaining part quality. SOLUTION: CAD/CAM software.

Around for more than 100 years, air gaging is a mature technology that still has a place in modern shops.

SIC Marking says its scribing technology guarantees a high-quality mark and is ideal for requirements that include Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or aesthetics concerns, such as logos and symbols. SIC Marking's product range runs from standard machines to custom engineered solutions. All systems are created with careful attention to bring functional design, quality, innovation and performance to manufacturing lines.

Slater Tools has expanded its accessory line to include GO/NO-GO inspection gages. In addition to standard sizes, inspection gages can be manufactured to custom specifications to help aid customers with manufacturing quality assurance.

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence has released its new HP-S-X1 series of compact probes for 3D coordinate measuring machine (CMM) tactile scanning. The HP-S-X1 product line features a new bearing system for better joint repeatability and accepts longer horizontal styli for improved flexibility.

The Hansco-Mark micro percussion marking machine MP150i from C.H. Hanson is a reliable and production-ready, standalone marking machine. No extra PC computer is needed for operation, and the built-in computer has memory too store more than 30,000 marking files.

Titan Tool Supply Inc. announces the introduction of its second optical measuring device. Also developed in Germany by Schneider Messtechnik, the V-CAD 1 is capable of providing precise and fast measurements of parts up to 76mm X 63mm in size.

Keyence offers an all-in-one 3D measurement and inspection package featuring laser profiling technology and image processing algorithms. The new XG-X vision system makes 3D setup and programming easier than ever with a new user interface and programmable encoder, according to the company.

A fully portable platform scale for drum and barrel weighing that has live side rails and features a new wall or desk mount digital weigh indicator is being introduced by Alliance Scale Inc. The Alliance/CAS R-series drum scale is a heavy-duty portable platform scale with two handles and two rubber wheels that is designed for weighing drums, barrels, containers, skids, pallets and other industrial containers.

Spectroline's QUADRAN 365 Series multi-LED, dual-intensity, broad-beam UV-A (365 nm) inspection lamps are for a wide variety of NDT applications. All QUADRAN 365 lamps feature four ultra-high-flux UV-A LEDs for fluorescent inspection, plus a white light LED for flaw location.

As the plans for more and more machined metal parts include numerical surface finish specifications, the need diminishes to visually qualify that a part has, for example, "a mirror finish with no burrs" or to have the machinist with the finest touch scratch the surface with his fingernail to make sure it's "matte and rough."

Automator gets the grip with hand-held marking requirements by introducing the VIS-P portable laser marker. The VIS-P joins the Automator family of laser marking solutions, and is an extremely light and solid unit. Ease of use makes this a product of choice when marking, according to the company.