RPI reports best-ever Control show

RPI UK, a specialist in precision positioning devices for high-accuracy rotary and angular inspection systems, has enjoyed its best year yet at the recent Control show in Stuttgart.

Jim Palmer, RPI’s sales manager, says: “Our new look exhibition space and location drew many new visitors. In addition, we launched the QuadProfile system, which delivers new capability into the CMM market. Not only this, but we gauged plenty of interest by previewing the RotoScan concept, which was demonstrated at the front of stand. As always, this event is also a great opportunity to meet with our distributors and customers, and we’ve taken away some really interesting sales leads.”
The RPI QuadProfile is the company’s smallest and most accurate rotary table for turbine blade inspection on a CMM.
Also on the stand, the RotoScan device has been designed to automate the inspection of heavy-duty circular components which have a large diameter; examples include bearings, aerospace castings and rotors. The system used a robot to automate the inspection capability of components using traditional contact metrology techniques to improve the repeatability and reproducibility of the measurements. Developed with AccuScan software, the device also complements RPI’s other assembly platforms such as iMAP and GeoSpin.
In addition to these latest developments, RPI demonstrated its LabStandard range, which offers sub arc second angular accuracy and precision geometry for inspection and calibration labs, with the versatility of both single and dual-axis configurations.
For further information www.rpiuk.com

Latest Creaform 3D scanner unveiled

A thoroughly re-engineered Go!Scan 3D scanner has been released by Creaform: the Go!Scan Spark.

This third-generation version of Creaform’s patented, professional-grade Go!Scan portable 3D scanner has been specifically designed for product development professionals who need an efficient portable scanner to capture the 3D data of physical objects, anywhere.
The Go!Scan Spark device features four inline cameras for fast 3D scanning and colour acquisition. The system also offers an ergonomic design that allows for different types of hand positions, enabling full-field dimensional measurements on an array of surfaces and textures for various product development applications.
Set-up is not required, with the device offering robust positioning using geometry, colour or targets. In comparison with previous units, the latest generation product offers four times better resolution and three times faster measurement. The scanning area features 99 stripes that take up to 1.5 million measurements per second, ultimately cutting down the time to get usable mesh files, which users can import into 3D modelling and 3D printing software without post-processing. Reliable measurements of up to 0.05 mm are possible.
“The work of product designers has greatly evolved over the past few decades,” says Simon Côté, product manager at Creaform. “Today, product development teams are under increasing pressure to innovate more quickly, work with multi-disciplinary, remote teams, and launch products faster than ever before. Go!Scan Spark generates quality 3D models, facilitates the design iteration process, mitigates errors and accelerates reverse engineering. Without a doubt, Go!Scan Spark is a key tool in designing products to maintain a leadership position in innovation and a manufacturer’s specific market sectors.”
For further information www.creaform3d.com

Hybrid AM platform created at AFRC

The Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) at the University of Strathclyde has integrated laser metal deposition (LMD) technology within a CNC machining centre, creating a unique platform that is the first of its kind in Scotland, and one of very few across the world.

Offering an affordable way for SMEs to embrace additive manufacturing, the LMD hybrid platform demonstrates that those with existing CNC technologies can retrofit their machinery to accommodate additive manufacturing at a reduced cost compared with off-the-shelf solutions. The AFRC is hosting a free workshop on machining and additive manufacturing on 28-29 August 2019. To find out more and book a space visit the web address shown.
For further information https://is.gd/tageye

Open Mind celebrates 25 years

Open Mind Technologies AG is celebrating its 25th company anniversary and is today represented by its own sales and service subsidiaries in 15 countries.

Indeed, the CADCAM specialist had 305 employees at the end of 2018, and by the end of its anniversary year, this number is set to grow beyond 330 with new subsidiaries soon to open. “We began with just 20 employees, but our love for technology and our innovative spirit are things that have not changed over the years,” says Dr Josef Koch, CTO and one of the company’s founders.
For further information www.openmind-tech.com

Reducing time between machining and measuring

Research findings described in a new article by University of Huddersfield scientists will enable engineering firms to make major gains in productivity and efficiency by reducing the often considerable time lag between the manufacture of components and checking their precision on a CMM.

To ensure complete accuracy, CMMs are housed in a strictly temperature-controlled environment. However, manufacturing processes often lead to big increases or decreases in the temperature of components. Until they are stabilised, they cannot be checked.
‘Temperature soaking’ is the term for this scenario, and a play-safe attitude means that larger components can be set aside for as long as 24 hours, causing a log jam in production, with costly CMMs standing idle.
At the University of Huddersfield’s School of Computing and Engineering, however, a research project headed by Dr Naeem Mian has comprised a series of experiments that provide engineering firms with a technique for calculating how long it takes for a component’s temperature to be stabilised so that it can safely be measured on a CMM.
It has been found that the waiting times can be considerably lower that generally thought – potentially a reduction of many hours. For example, Mian and his team carried out various experiments with a heated venturi – a component used in the oil and gas industry – and discovered that the time required for temperature soaking, so that it could be placed on a CMM, was as low as 7.6 minutes.
Findings from the range of experiments, including the mathematical formulae that will aid manufacturers seeking to calculate temperature soaking periods, are given in the new article, which is titled ‘Reducing the latency between machining and measurement using FEA to predict thermal transient effects on CMM measurement’.
For further information https://is.gd/xetazi