Metrology & Measurement

Able Machine Tool Sales Inc., Agawam, Mass., is the New England distributor for Dayton, Ohio-based Advanced Industrial Measurement Systems' (AIMS) Revolution Series coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), according to a recent Able news release. Designed and engineered with Renishaw 5-axis measurement technology, AIMS introduced its new CMM product line in 2015.

Careful consideration when implementing inspection processes yields efficiencies. Manufacturers continually search for ways to increase profits and reduce costs. Trying to find cost savings where chips are made makes sense and is usually where the most-significant improvements are found. However, efficiency gains can also be made in nonvalue-adding areas, like inspection.

Do you know why your last part run had a high defect rate, why parts from an outside supplier were nonconforming, and what you are going to do with those parts? If your company has a material review board, it can probably answer those questions.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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!).

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.

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.