Aimed at multinational organisations with factories worldwide, but equally applicable to medium-size companies having several production facilities in one country, a web-based platform has been introduced by CMM manufacturer LK Metrology to help production departments monitor and control inspection activities around the clock.

Consistent with the aims of Industry 4.0, the new Metrology Gate portal provides remote access to information on the status and performance of all connected metrology devices. Available data includes measurement results and a summary of errors, a record of program changes, uptime of the CMMs and OEE. Historical logs assist troubleshooting and warn when routine maintenance is due, not only of the inspection machines, but of the machine tools or other equipment on which the components are
being made.
Delays in data searching are avoided, improving reporting procedures. Comprehensive daily reports include total output per shift and the number of parts measured, sudden changes in process averages, and comparisons between different machines producing the components. Graphical CAD reports, SPC analyses with Cp and Cpk results, and environmental logs including operating temperature are generated and communicated, alongside charts to aid interpretation and understanding.
In the case of critical dimensional discrepancies or hardware failure, the software shares the information with users immediately by sending alerts via email, SMS, WeChat or WhatsApp. Metrology jobs can be stopped and reset if performance is inadequate, maximising yield and minimising scrap.
Normally, data acquired is stored in the cloud but may be held on servers in different countries if preferred, or even on an individual computer. Either way, it is accessible over the internet instantly and globally in real time, on a PC in an office or using an app on handheld devices when on the move.
For further information www.lkmetrology.com

Manufacturing operations as Chelmsford-based Currock Engineering, a 91-employee supplier of total solution packages to the global aerospace sector, are underpinned by its collection of Mitutoyo CMMs, a resource that has recently been bolstered by the arrival of a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex S CNC CMM with a large XYZ capacity of 1200 x 2000 x 1000 mm.

Now installed and fully operational, the Crysta-Apex S CMM brings Currock’s Mitutoyo CMM count up to four machines. Although purchased primarily to accurately inspect the company’s larger components, the size of the machine’s granite bed also allows multiple smaller parts to be loaded and fully automatic, mass measuring routines to be performed. Currock is both ISO9001 and BS EN 9100 accredited, and is a signatory to the SC21 Action Plan.
Operations manager Mark Burrows says: “The speed and accuracy of our large capacity Crysta-Apex S CNC CMM has already made a significant contribution to our inspection function. As well as easily handling the largest of our parts, its ability to inspect multiple smaller components in a single set-up, in a rapid, automatic CNC mode, has considerably accelerated the throughput of work in our quality department.”
Given the speed of today’s high-yield machine tools and the sheer volume of parts they produce, ensuring that component inspection systems keep pace has never been more important. Add to this the ever increasing complexity of components and tighter dimensional tolerances being applied, and it is easy to understand that the performance of CMMs is being challenged as never before.
For further information www.mitutoyo.co.uk

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

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

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