Metrology & Measurement

Articles • September 6, 2017 • Kip Hanson

Taking measures to improve metrology

Many — if not most — shops encourage employees to purchase their own measurement tools. Some even help by "financing" these purchases, allowing machinists to pay them off in small increments. And what machinist doesn't want his or her "own stuff" with which to do the job? But does allowing machinists to use their own measuring tools actually make sense?

News • August 24, 2017

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America Hosts Book Signing Event

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America hosted an exclusive celebratory event and book signing Aug. 21 to recognize the nearly 185-years of Rhode Island's rich industrial history. The event showcased Gerald Carbone's new book titled "Brown & Sharpe and the Measure of American Industry,honoring the legacy of Henry D. Sharpe Jr.

Articles • August 21, 2017 • Alan Richter

Productive Times: 5 days to ROI

END USER: Northeast Tool & Manufacturing, (704) 882-1187, www.northeasttool.us. SOLUTION PROVIDER: MachineMetrics, (413) 341-5747, www.machinemetrics.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce the time and manual inspection required to measure productivity. SOLUTION: A machine monitoring system.

Videos • July 21, 2017

Renishaw introduces SPRINT system SupaScan

Renishaw plc recently posted a brief video to YouTube that offers an overview of the company's new SPRINT system with SupaScan. The system is designed for simple integration into machine tool applications requiring exceptionally fast workpiece set-up, and where overall cycle time is critical.

Articles • July 19, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: Get your bearings

High-quality metrology feedback is one of the cornerstones of precision manufacturing, but that's easier said than done, according to the Shop Operations column in the July 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Articles • June 16, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

Scanning a hypercar

Koenigsegg, the Swedish manufacturer of high-end, high-performance sports cars, was featured in the 2016 documentary "APEX: The Story of the Hypercar," which describes the battle for a new class of high-speed, fast-pickup sport scars.

Articles • June 12, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

Success detected for noncontact inspection

The most-recent trends in inspection technology include using powerful 3D software to compare the part to its CAD rendering, inspecting the part in-process—without having to take it out of the production line or cell—and, as much as possible, automating the inspection process.

Articles • May 31, 2017 • Kip Hanson

Advancements in edge finders

Some might argue that edge finders, center finders and wigglers, which have been used for decades to touch off workpieces during machine setup, are a bit too analog for today's digital world.

News • April 25, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

ABB and IBM partner to bring AI to the factory floor

ABB and IBM have announced a strategic collaboration that brings together ABB's industry-leading digital offering, ABB Ability, with IBM Watson Internet of Things cognitive capabilities to unlock new value for customers in industry, utilities and transport & infrastructure.

News • April 20, 2017

10 things to consider before hiring a metrology services provider

Customers need to be careful when hiring services from Metrology Services Providers. There are many "Ma and Pa" business' that may be run by technically capable people, but are lacking the depth to provide customers with a full range of support, especially when the unexpected occurs. The following list provides customers with a checklist to ask providers.

News • April 18, 2017

TriMet Consulting Launched to Serve Manufacturers’ CNC, CMM Programming Needs

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.

Articles • March 15, 2017 • Alan Richter

Productive Times: Capacity relief

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.