Inspection & Quality

The new M4 Inline part marking system from Dapra Marking Systems, Bloomfield, Conn., is a turnkey solution that features an integrated 16 bus card and is said to eliminate the need for vision identification/control equipment, making the system ideal for efficient, cost-effective inline part marking for everything from automated production lines to manual loading stations and custom-engineered systems, according to a Dapra news release issued Jan. 25.

The new M4 Inline from Dapra Marking Systems, Bloomfield, Conn., is a turnkey inline direct part marking solution for industrial traceability. The system reportedly eliminates the need for additional vision identification/control equipment, making it the ideal solution for efficient, cost-effective inline part marking for everything from automated production lines to custom-engineered systems, according to a Dapra news release issued Jan. 25.n

To help companies meet tolerances and achieve repeatability, Advanced Industrial Measurement Systems (AIMS), a maker of coordinate measuring machines (CMM), recently introduced the Revolution Series HB Shop Floor CMM, the Dayton, Ohio-based company announced in a Jan. 22 news release. Designed and built around Renishaw 5-axis technology, the Revolution HB is said to be the only mobile 5-axis CMM on the market.

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, formerly Hexagon Metrology, recently unveiled its new, top-of-the-line addition to the ROMER Absolute Arm portable coordinate measuring machine product line—the 77 Series, which the company described as the most accurate ROMER Absolute Arm to date.

The 3D-Sensor New Generation from Haimer USA LLC builds on the success of its predecessor, the Haimer Universal 3D-Sensor, according to a Haimer USA blog post dated Jan. 12. The 3D-Sensor New Generation reportedly features enhanced mechanics, a compact and easy-to-grip casing, and a large 1/100mm dial gauge with two easy-to-read hands.

These enhancements improve operations, eliminate restrictions to the working area and allow an extremely precise display of the spindle position, the company said. The new sensor is said to be capable of fast, "math-free" positioning of the spindle axis on the edges of the workpiece, and offers precision of 0.01mm when used with original Haimer probe tips.

CHALLENGE: Upgrade QC to reduce the amount of time required for dimension measurements. SOLUTION: Utilize an image-dimension-measuring system that enables hundreds of features to be measured in seconds. END USER: Autocam Corp. Inc., (800) 747-6978, www.autocam.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Keyence Corp. of America, (888) 539-3623, www.keyence.com.

Metrology is evolving to allow inspection to be moved closer to the production area. Is it time to remove your inspection lab and retire your old, reliable coordinate measuring machine? Has portable metrology equipment reached a point where all your parts can be measured directly on the shop floor? The answer to both remains a resounding, "Not quite yet."

Optodyne Inc., Rancho Dominguez, Calif., a maker of laser measurement, calibration and compensation systems, recently introduced a new and improved laser calibration system—the MCV-500H and MCV-5000H. The MCV-500H and MCV-5000H laser calibration system is a basic system for linear displacement measurement, the company said in a news release issued Dec. 17, 2015.

With an amplitude of 16mm, the 3D stylus tip extends and retracts automatically as it follows the shape of various parts in this video from Gravotech Marking SAS. The 3D stylus is a very high amplitude stylus capable of following the relief of every part to be marked.

Laser technology allows for precise, noncontact marking of thin, brittle or otherwise delicate parts without compromising part integrity.

Hexagon Metrology announced last November that the company was changing its name to Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence and rebranding to reflect increasing capabilities in data-driven industrial manufacturing solutions. The change aligns the business more closely with Hexagon's overall strategy to offer software-centric information technology solutions that improve quality and productivity across entire industry workflows, according to a Nov. 12, 2015, company news release.