THIS WEEK IN QUALITY: Coordinate Measuring Machines, Length Gauges and More

The latest products from AIMS, Heidenhain, Hexagon, Photron and ZEISS.

AIMS Coordinate Measuring Machine

(Image courtesy of AIMS.)

(Image courtesy of AIMS.)

Pressure to increase production and minimize waste for increasingly complex parts is driving manufacturers to look for quality control processes that are faster and more accurate.

“Speed is critical for manufacturers today,” said Gary Rockwell, director of marketing and product development for AIMS. “Parts are becoming more complex with tighter tolerances and customer lead times are shrinking.”

To help companies meet tolerances and achieve repeatability, Advanced Industrial Measurement Systems (AIMS), an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), has introduced the Revolution Series HB Shop Floor CMM.

Designed and built around Renishaw 5-axis technology, the Revolution HB is the only mobile 5-axis CMM on the market, according to AIMS.

Constructed with a polymer-cast base and a roll-around stand with casters that can be locked in place, the Revolution HB is designed to be easy to move. The machine runs on standard 110-volt power, so the need for shop air is eliminated. Built-in vibration resistance, mechanical bearings and thermal stability give the Revolution HB the durability it needs to withstand the rigors of shop floor use.

The CMM features a Renishaw PH20 probe head.

For more information, visit the AIMS website.

Heidenhain Length Gauge

(Image courtesy of Heidenhain.)

(Image courtesy of Heidenhain.)

Heidenhain recently announced the introduction of the new and improved +/- 1µm accurate Acanto 1217 and 1218 length gauges. Paired with the proprietary bi-directional serial interface EnDat 2.2, operators can now monitor gauges being used in production and detect failures before they occur, allowing mangers to plan and maintain optimal production levels and minimize machine down time.

Along with built-in error monitoring, the Acanto remembers the last datum used thanks to the EnDat interface, so there is no need to re-master due to the gauge itself (environment and machine growth may require remastering independent of the gauge).

The Acanto also auto-connects and reports data to any control that has implemented EnDat. With an IP rating of IP64 or IP 67, the Acanto can be used on the shop-floor in automated systems or in clean environments.

The Acanto can be implemented in a multitude of gauging applications, including automotive manufacturing, medical devices, in-process measurements, as well as fixtured gauging stations.

Important specs of the Acanto length gauge include:

  • Accuracy: +/- 1µm
  • Stroke Length: 12 mm
  • Interface: EnDat 2.2 (Datum memory, Error monitoring, Gauge Auto-Recognition)

For more information, visit the Heidenhain website.

 

Hexagon Automation Solution

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America recently announced that its Integrated Solutions Business group will unveil a new-to-the-market Automation solution at IMTS 2016. This series of data-driven solutions will feature robotics integrated with metrology technologies.

The specialized product line enables on-demand access to real-time factory floor data for predictive manufacturing in Industry 4.0 environments.

Hexagon will also highlight recently introduced products that will be demonstrated throughout the week. The new product lineup at IMTS includes the portable ROMER 77 Series, the Leica Absolute Scanner LAS-20-8 featuring 7DoF capabilities, the BLAZE 600M blue light scanner, the AICON PrimeScan scanner line, the GLOBAL Advantage HTA (High Throughput Accuracy) designed for aerospace compression blade measurement and the Global EVO coordinate measuring machine (CMM) created in collaboration with Pininfarina.

In addition, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence will exhibit its full complement of software, hardware, and accessories.

For more information, visit the Hexagon website.

Photron High-Speed Camera System

(Image courtesy of Photron.)

(Image courtesy of Photron.)

Photron, Inc., a manufacturer of high-speed digital cameras and software for slow motion analysis, recently introduced the PhotoCam SpeederV2. The portable, standalone high-speed camera system is specially designed for production fault-finding. 

The camera system allows workers to quickly view and identify production errors on the integrated 7-inch LCD remote touch screen, without the need for a computer or network infrastructure.

The SpeederV2 system is available with one or two miniature, remote camera heads that are tethered to a compact camera control unit. The new production line imaging system provides up to 2,000 frames per second (fps) at full pixel resolution (512 x 512) and higher frame rates at reduced resolutions.

There are two video recording modes – Speed Priority Mode for high-frame-rate, full-resolution video capture to the onboard internal memory; and Time Priority Mode for extended duration video capture (i.e. very long recording times at reduced frame rates and/or resolutions) which can be streamed to an integrated solid-state drive (SSD).

The PhotoCam SpeederV2 system operator can start or stop a recording manually using the touch screen or a thumb switch.  Alternatively, the system can be automatically triggered with a TTL pulse or switch closure emitted in the event of equipment failure or production line disruption. Once the video is recorded, it can be played back in super slow motion, allowing factory personnel to view the production error and make necessary corrections immediately.

For more information, visit the Photron website.

 

ZEISS White Light Sensors

(Image courtesy of ZEISS.)

(Image courtesy of ZEISS.)

Carl Zeiss, Inc. recently announced a new solution for dimensional measurement of freeform surfaces on sensitive, soft or low-contrast materials. The new ZEISS DotScan family of chromatic white light sensors is now available on new ZEISS ACCURA multisensor coordinate measurement machines.

Customers can scan complex parts from all sides in one measuring run thanks to the combination of the ACCURA with articulating RDS measurement head and the new DotScan sensor. ZEISS will introduce the first three members of the DotScan sensor family at the IMTS 2016.

Transparent or highly reflective surfaces are no problem for the ZEISS DotScan. When mounted on the RDS articulating probe head, the ZEISS DotScan sensor can reach all areas of the part without difficulty.

The ZEISS DotScan family enables users to measure highly reflective freeform surfaces. Previously, a certain measuring range of the sensor was exceeded because the workpieces had to be rotated manually. The new sensor family is now available on the ZEISS ACCURA multisensor coordinate measuring machine (CMM) which enables the fully-automatic exchange of the ZEISS DotScan during a CNC run.

ZEISS DotScan is a suitable option for measuring freeform surfaces and minute structures. The embedded chromatic white light sensor is the method of choice, especially when traditional styli or camera sensors reach their limits on sensitive, soft, reflective or low-contrast surfaces.

By using ZEISS DotScan, strongly reflective surfaces, such as metal components in knee implants, can be measured without the need for a contrast medium. Now, transparent lacquered surfaces can be distinguished from other underlying metallic layers.

ZEISS DotScan is available in three different measuring ranges: 10, 3 and 1 mm. Each sensor can be fully automatically exchanged with other ZEISS contact or optical sensors inside a single CNC run. With 20,736 possible orientations, the articulating RDS measurement head can align the ZEISS DotScan perpendicular to surfaces of the part being measured. And since the maximum measuring angle of the ZEISS DotScan is plus/minus 30 degrees, critical dimensions on strongly curved components can now be measured.

For more information, visit the ZEISS website.


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