CT for process control in AM

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) company Sintavia has installed a Nikon Metrology computed tomography (CT) system at its facility in Florida, US to help control the AM process.

Using powder-bed AM with electron and laser-beam melting, Sintavia currently manufactures components from Inconel 718 and 625, aluminium, titanium, cobalt-chrome, stainless steel and other proprietary powders.
AM allows special internal designs to be realised, such as conformal cooling channels, lattice networks, hollow members and other complex geometries. Both additive and traditional manufacturing can result in microscopic voids and gaps within the structure, which can cause stress fractures and reduce the longevity of a component’s lifecycle. All of these internal features can only be inspected non-destructively with CT scanning.
Sintavia has installed a 450 kVA micro-focus CT (micro-CT) system from Nikon Metrology. By converting 2D pixels to 3D voxels, supplying a full 3D density map of the samples, the technique presents information in a visual, easy-to-interpret format and shows any departure from the CAD model. It is said to be straightforward to detect and measure powder residues blocking channels, porosity, contamination, cracking, warping, and dimensions such as wall thickness to an accuracy within tens of microns. Given a 100 mm sample and a detector 2000 pixels across, the limiting resolution would be 50 µm, for example.
Micro CT is now much faster and more suitable for production-line use, while CT scanning of similar parts can be automated using loading and unloading equipment. Scan times down to a few tens of seconds per part are possible.
For further information www.nikonmetrology.com

Zeiss presents smart measuring lab

At last month’s MACH 2018 exhibition, Zeiss presented an extensive range of measurement and inspection technology, connected by the Zeiss Quality Network solutions.

On the road to Industry 4.0, measuring and inspection technology is increasingly being used as a control tool in manufacturing. However, as part of this new role, the technology needs to capture quality data more flexibly and quickly at different sites: in the measuring room, at-line and in-line. The technology must merge and evaluate this data and make it available to persons and/or machines for control input. That is where the Zeiss Quality Network comes in.
The Zeiss Quality Network offers a partner network for generating, networking and interpreting quality data, whether at supplier facilities, in the measuring lab or in a highly automated manufacturing environment. Software solutions such as Zeiss PiWeb combine the quality data of multiple measuring systems to create graphic measurement reports. This capability enables measuring technology, production and quality management to access all measurement reports anytime and anywhere.
At MACH, the machines on display included the DuraMax shop floor CMM and Prismo bridge-type CMM. Optical systems on the stand included the O-Select digital measuring projector, Comet fringe projection system and O-Inspect 543 multi-sensor measuring machine, along with a Virtual CT system. There was also a number of microscopes available to try, including the LSM 800 particle analyser and Smartzoom 5 automated digital microscope.
For further information www.zeiss.co.uk/metrology

Next generation of digital microscopes

Vision Engineering unveiled the next generation of its Evo Cam digital microscope at the MACH exhibition in Birmingham last month. Suited to close inspection and the recording of high-resolution images, the latest Evo Cam II benefits from the addition of user-customisable overlays, on-board measurement and Wi-Fi image transfer – all supported by a 30:1 optical zoom and a maximum magnification in excess of 3600x.

Evo Cam II replaces the original Evo Cam, which is already used for the inspection of automotive and aerospace components, medical devices, precision engineering, plastic mouldings and more. High-definition images can be captured and stored directly to a USB memory stick. When connected to a PC, images and video can be easily captured, stored and shared. A Wi-Fi dongle even allows direct sharing with PCs, laptops, tablet computers and smartphones.
Simple on-screen measurement can be performed with the aid of virtual callipers and scalable grids, while live images can also be compared to user customisable overlays, increasing efficiency of use.
A completely new graphical user interface and intuitive controls with 10 presets, allow for rapid swapping out of subjects under inspection, making Evo Cam II suitable for multiple users in high-speed production environments. A remote control option is available to maximise the ergonomic operation of the microscope when used over prolonged periods.
Evo Cam II features an LED ring light and sub-stage lighting for viewing translucent samples. High-contrast subjects, such as reflective metals used in automotive manufacturing, can be viewed in more detail using Evo Cam II’s Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) mode.
For further information www.visioneng.com

Aberlink provides shop-floor accuracy

Pinxton-based Nasmyth Bulwell, which specialises in the manufacture of precision parts, kits, airframe assemblies and sub-assemblies for the global aerospace and allied industries, has installed an Xtreme CNC CMM from Aberlink.

“Having evaluated several shop-floor CMMs against our list of requirements, a demonstration of Aberlink’s Xtreme CNC CMM, together with Aberlink’s market reputation, convinced me that the Xtreme was the ideal machine for our needs,” says quality manager Jonathan Walsh. “The accuracy, CNC nature and speed of our new Aberlink CMM means that it is able to perform comprehensive inspection routines on manufactured components within the cycle time of the machine tool it is located next to. Now, rather than our skilled machine operators taking a first-off part to our busy inspection department and experiencing delays waiting for a CMM to complete its current task, they are able to quickly confirm component dimensions before commencing full production.
“In the cell, as a machined part is now fully inspected before the next component is produced, the speed of feedback achieved through in-cycle measurement allows adjustments to be made quickly when a feature is drifting from its nominal size,” he adds. “Our new inspection method has increased efficiency and further reduced our already low scrap rates.
“In addition to taking the strain off our busy inspection department, the efficiencies we have realised through the use of our new shop-floor CMM mean that we plan to purchase further Aberlink Xtreme models in the future.”
For further information www.aberlink.com

New agency

Master Abrasives has been appointed as the UK and Ireland representive for the complete range of grinding machines manufactured in India by Alex Machine Tools.

Sparks from grinding machine in workshop. Industrial background, industry.

Over the past 30 years, Alex has developed a range of surface grinding machines, including a reciprocating hydraulically-operated machine, a rotary surface grinder, creep-feed machines and a range of double-disk grinders. The announcement comes hot on the heels of a successful MACH exhibition for Master Abrasives, where among the reported sales was a Micromatic Eco 200 grinding machine to Border Ballistics Technologies.
For further information www.master-abrasives.co.uk