Inspection & Quality

As children, we likely all learned the hard way that drastic temperature changes cause objects to change size—whether it was leaving a soda in the freezer too long to get it cold or breaking your turtle's terrarium by cleaning it with hot water after it had been resting on the cold ground (sorry, Mom and Dad!). However, in the realm of precision measurement, even minute differences in atmospheric conditions can have huge impacts—to the point that parts manufactured within spec can fail inspection and be needlessly reworked or even scrapped.

Another recent Zoller innovation is »caz« software – Computer-Aided Zoller, the virtual measuring machine. "It's going to be a huge time-saver," Matt asserted. "Previously we would have to create the inspection program in front of the inspection machine. Since our Star Cutter tool grinding machines come with Numroto operating software, we can export the tool model from the Numroto machine programming software as an STL file, including a 3D image, and write the inspection program from that before the tool is even ground."

Northern Tool, a division of Star Cutter Company, Farmington Hills, MI, is well-known for designing and producing special carbide cutting tools, often for automotive powertrain production, that accomplish more than one cutting operation in a single pass.

A Look-Ahead item on a green laser-line metrology scanner.

While the U.S. greenback has markedly appreciated in the last year, the Boston Consulting Group's Global Manufacturing Cost-Competitiveness Index shows that the U.S. remains one of the lowest-cost locations for manufacturing in the developed world. Productivity increases are largely responsible, and a key factor in this success is a relentless push to data-driven manufacturing.

Machine shops can be dangerous places, but a combination of planning, housekeeping and the proper safety equipment reduces the risk of injuries, audits and lost time.

A new high-speed, fully automated end-of-line camshaft measuring machine that features sub-micron accuracy and less than 25 sec. cycle times is being introduced by Adcole Corp.

Perceptron Inc. has launched the AutoScan Collaborative RoboGauge that extends further its family of next generation industrial gauging products to include automated robotic 3D scanning for dimensional measurement and gauging applications on the manufacturing floor.

Hexagon Metrology announced new options for the latest version of its TIGO SF shop-floor CMM, which enable easy integration into fully automated in-line or near-the-line inspection cells or as part of a complete production/inspection setup.

The X-axis Model XAM-1 measuring microscope introduced by Titan Tool Supply Inc. reportedly provides optimal flexibility, speed and accuracy for routine measurements.

Mitutoyo America Corp. announces the KA-200 Counter, a multiple feature, intuitive display unit for linear scales.

With ZEISS PiWeb, ZEISS has now enhanced its software for quality data management.