Daventry-based Alltube Engineering, a manufacturer of flexible and rigid pipeline products, has invested in a Faro Quantum E ScanArm.

Technical director Paul Fuller says: “Achieving optimum 3D shapes is never easy as, for instance, a bend with a small angular error at one end of a long pipe can result in an inaccuracy of several millimetres at the opposite end. Hence, to satisfy the challenging briefs provided by our customers, designs often feature demanding 3D geometric forms with extremely tight dimensional and geometrical tolerances. To ensure that each hydraulic pipe adheres to the required design specification, we inspect all products before dispatch.”
As the use of physical measuring devices for inspecting rigid pipes is both cumbersome and long winded, Alltube recently investigated the latest non-contact measuring systems. A practical demonstration of a Faro Quantum E ScanArm fitted with FaroBlu Laser Line Probe SD, measuring a selection of the company’s most complex products, proved it was the answer to Alltube’s inspection problems.
“Not only was the Faro ScanArm much quicker and easier to use, it proved more accurate than our previous inspection methods,” says Fuller. “It was also able to link to our CNC pipe-bending machines, and automatically generate customer inspection reports. Last, but not least, the Quantum E FaroArm/FaroBlu LLP combination is capable of both contact and non-contact measurement. By using the ScanArm’s 3D laser-scanning capabilities, we’ve reduced our inspection times by approximately 90%, and by association, reduced our delivery times.”
For further information www.faro.com

Many companies in the sporting and leisure industry are benefiting from the latest metrology equipment. A case in point can be seen at The R&A, situated close to the home of golf near St Andrews, which has taken delivery of a contour and surface roughness instrument from Mitutoyo to help it evaluate submissions of new equipment for conformance to the official rules of golf.

When it comes to golf clubs, the rules and specifications are divided into five separate categories: club (general), shaft, grip, club head and club face. Having used a previous-generation Mitutoyo Formtracer instrument for measuring the impact area markings on club faces for some years, the organisation recently took delivery of the newly launched Mitutoyo Formtracer Avant.
At The R&A, the Formtracer Avant is being used to precisely measure the profiles, widths, depths, edge radii and separation distances of the grooves located on the impact areas of club faces against the relevant specifications detailed in the rules. Surface finish is also inspected using the Formtracer Avant, which avoids the need to invest in two separate devices as it is able to convert from a surface roughness measuring instrument into a contour measuring device – and vice versa – within seconds.
Andrew Johnson, assistant director – research and testing at The R&A, says: “Each week we receive 30-40 submissions of new equipment for evaluation. Our Mitutoyo Formtracer has proven reliable, and provided the necessary levels of accuracy and ease-of-use. Replacing it with the new Avant model has ensured that we are able to keep pace with the high volumes of contour and surface roughness testing.”
For further information www.mitutoyo.co.uk

Ametek Land has introduced two short-wavelength radiometric infrared borescope imaging cameras, NIR-B-2K and NIR-B-640, for a range of continuous industrial furnace process monitoring and control applications requiring highly accurate temperature measurement.

The NIR-B-2K, which provides a thermal image with a definition of nearly 3 million pixels (1968 x 1472), is unaffected by the hot atmosphere and gases of the furnace, and allows operators to measure from any of three full radiometric-calibrated megapixels, providing data to optimise furnace temperature. This capability helps to save energy, increase efficiency and reduce emissions.
Designed specifically to produce high-definition thermal images in a temperature range from 600 to 1800°C, the NIR-B-2K delivers continuous process monitoring and control for large furnaces. Needing only a narrow opening in the furnace wall, the wide-angle lens provides a 95° x 71° field of view to ensure an extensive measurement area covering stock, refractories and burner/heating zones in a single thermal image.
The second release is the NIR-B-640, a short wavelength radiometric infrared borescope imaging camera for continuous temperature measurement in furnace applications with a higher differential temperature in the field of view.
Measuring in a range from 600 to 2000°C, the NIR-B-640 provides a high-resolution thermal image with real-time, continuous, high-accuracy temperature readings. The device utilises the latest wide dynamic range imaging technology, providing the highest available temperature reading accuracy over the entire temperature range, for accurate, continuous temperature profiling of the furnace and stock, says Ametek Land.
Ametek Land’s NIR-B-640 can accurately measure ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ areas in one frame or image. This functionality allows the entire process to be monitored without switching to different temperature ranges during operation.
For further information www.ametek-land.com

InfiniAM Sonic acoustic process monitoring software has been launched by Renishaw to complement the company’s existing InfiniAM suite of additive manufacturing (AM) monitoring tools. The software enables engineers to detect acoustic events within the AM build chamber and turn this data into useful information about build quality. The software is said to be the first of its kind in the AM industry.

Renishaw’s InfiniAM Sonic is installed into the RenAM 500Q system as a factory-fit option and includes four acoustic energy sensors to detect vibration in the build. These sensors detect minute vibrations and collect sound waves so that they can be heard, viewed and analysed. Using four high-frequency sensors in different locations results in a slight time difference, due to the speed of sound. The software uses this time difference to triangulate the position of noise on the build plate. In addition, the software presents a level of certainty regarding where the noise occurred, and the magnitude. This data can then be combined graphically with other sensor data to build a comprehensive view of the part and the conditions at time of build.
The software works alongside InfiniAM Central and InfiniAM Spectral, which provide improved understanding of build quality, increased confidence in the build process and accelerated process development, reports Renishaw. A mobile app, InfiniAM Central, is also available, so that users can receive notifications on their build process in near real-time.
David Ewing, AM product manager at Renishaw, says: “The rapid heating and cooling that takes place during an AM build leads to residual stress in the part. While each laser weld results in a small amount of stress, residual stress can build up within the part, and if it increases past the strength of the metal it may lead to a fracture in the support material or part itself.”
For further information www.renishaw.com

Based in Glenrothes, subcontractor Euro Precision has been eager to minimise the number of failures that might occur in large batches by taking action against faults at final inspection.

To achieve this goal, the company created a team of specialists that looked at the issues, with the task of clearly identifying any problems and coming up with corrective actions. As a result, Euro Precision has recently invested heavily in equipment such as CNC milling centres, a Mitutoyo CMM, a laser marker and an IM-7500 image dimension measurement system from Keyence. Within a short timeframe, final inspection failures were reduced to just 0.8%.
The IM-7500 enabled Euro Precision to check parts much quicker and with greater accuracy. This capability has saved the company a substantial amount of money by cutting inspection times, while improving quality levels on all components. Time savings have also been achieved through the machine being straightforward to operate and program, enabling inspectors to check a higher volume of projects within much shorter timescales.
Mark Ramsay, production manager at Euro Precision, explains: “The Keyence IM-7500 machine has proved to be excellent for our operators because it is easy to use, extremely precise and can check parts very quickly. For these reasons, we’ve been able to program the machine to minimise the risk of batch failures by checking more parts at a much faster pace and far more accurately.
“Selecting Keyence equipment was a new venture for us, but as soon as we had the demonstration and tested a few of our parts on the IM-7500, it was a no brainer; we had to have that machine,” he adds. “The unit has more than paid for itself in just 10 months, and if we could have many more of these around the workplace we would do so in a heartbeat.”
For further information www.keyence.co.uk