FEATURE ON METROLOGY

NTG invests in third Aberlink CMM

The mainstay of quality and inspection at Gateshead-based NTG Precision is its collection of Aberlink CMMs. Indeed, the requirement for the company’s inspection department to keep pace with increasing levels of production recently prompted the purchase of NTG’s third Aberlink CMM.

“Just as we pursue a policy of remaining loyal to suppliers who deliver premium-quality machine tools and first-class levels of service, we have remained loyal to Aberlink for the same reasons,” states NTG’s operations manager Mark Withycombe. “As well as accuracy, speed and ease-of-use, we have been very impressed with the machines’ reliability and the excellent levels of service the company provides.
“Although we were very happy with our previous two Aberlink CMMs, as other manufacturers’ machines may have improved, we looked at a couple of alternative CMMs,” he adds. “Satisfied that Aberlink’s Axiom Too best suited our needs, we were happy to remain loyal to the brand and place another order.”
Now installed and fully operational, just like NTG’s existing Aberlink CMMs, the new machine is able to get through large volumes of component measurement routines, and has removed the potential for delays in the inspection department.
“Given the nature of many of the industries we serve, such as oil and gas, subsea, power generation and automotive, the ability to offer the highest standard of component inspection is a prerequisite for gaining contracts. In addition to providing the required accuracy and speed, it helps that our three Aberlink CMMs are able to automatically generate the detailed inspection reports demanded by our customers.”
For further information www.aberlink.com

IAP measuring equipment made available in UK

A new range of measuring equipment by India-based Innovative Automation Products is now available in the UK and Ireland from Master Abrasives. The Innovative Automation equipment for grinding processes covers optical, air, co-ordinate and other areas of metrology.

Ian Meredith, applications engineering manager at Master Abrasives, says: “Adding measuring equipment to our range of products means we can offer a more complete package for grinding processes alongside machines, abrasives and coolant nozzles. I visited Innovative Automation Products last year and was impressed with their manufacturing capabilities and portfolio of solutions. As a result, we have agreed to become their official UK and Ireland representative, and our showroom is now equipped with their 2D height gauge, air gauge and profile projector.”
Innovative Automation Products offers a 1D and 2D height gauge that are manual or motorised with a measuring length of 325, 625, 1025 or 1150 mm. A 3D CMM is also available as manual, motorised or CNC type. The air gauges are available with single or multi-channel, and single or double displays. Both vertical and horizontal profile projectors are available: the V400-HP with a screen diameter of 400 mm is on display in Master Abrasives’ showroom.
Innovative Automation Products’ V400-HP profile projector combines optical non-contact measurement and inspection with a measuring range of 250 x 150 mm. The vertical light-path arrangement is suited to the inspection of parts such as cutting-tool inserts, machined components and shafts weighing up to 10 kg.
For further information www.master-abrasives.co.uk

Leica portable scanning bundle from Hexagon

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence has launched the Leica Absolute Tracker AT960-SR, a lower budget addition to the AT960 range of laser trackers. Only available as part of a bundle offer with one of Hexagon’s laser scanners, the AT960-SR is designed for applications with smaller measurement volume requirements that still demand the speed and accuracy performance of Hexagon’s flagship laser trackers.

Powered by Hexagon’s AIFM and Mini Variozoom optical technology, the AT960-SR remains fully compatible with the company’s probing and scanning accessories, such as the Leica T-Probe, Leica Absolute Scanner LAS and Leica T-Scan 5, as well as standard reflectors. The AT960-SR is optimised to operate
over a measuring range of up to 10 m in diameter for six degrees of freedom (6DoF) measurement, corresponding to a measuring volume of approximately 400 cu m.
“This new addition to the AT960 range is all about giving our customers what they want,” says Daniel Moser, technical product director at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. “There’s a wide range of scanning applications out there that demand high-level accuracy but don’t need the large measuring volume capability of the existing AT960 models. With the AT960-SR we’re delivering that, and at a correspondingly lower price.”
Hexagon’s Leica AT960-SR is available to order worldwide from October as part of a bundle featuring a Leica Absolute Scanner or Leica T-Scan 5 hand-held laser scanner.
For further information www.hexagonmi.com

Visual Inspect suits inspection and design tasks

Faro has launched its Visual Inspect product family that allows large, complex 3D CAD data to be transferred to an iPad and used for mobile visualisation and comparison to real world conditions. This enables real time, actionable manufacturing insight through earlier stage error detection in the production, construction or design processes.

Visual Inspect is being described as a next-generation solution as it moves 3D CAD viewing away from the traditional desktop PC to a mobile ‘in hand, on demand’ system. The 3D CAD data is stored locally on the iPad through a compressed, mobile format which provides a high degree of flexibility and mobility that together drive increased productivity, says Faro. The end user is able to document problems and errors with text and images and then export both into a Microsoft Excel office document.
The product family is available in two options: Visual Inspect, which enables mobile viewing, verification and documentation of complex 3D data; and Visual Inspect AR, which allows complex 3D data to be overlaid and compared to actual data in real time.
The integrated iPad camera supports Visual Inspect AR as a more cost-effective alternative to other augmented reality (AR) products that require expensive cameras.
Visual Inspect can be ready for use via a simple three-step process that includes first downloading the iPad application from the Apple Apps store, calibrating the iPad and then activating the application with the calibration file.
For further information www.faro.com

Simplifying machine misalignment checks

Pinpoint Laser Systems, a manufacturer of precision laser measurement and alignment products, has launched its latest laser-alignment tool, the 90-Line-D, for monitoring and detecting misalignment and other errors in machinery and equipment.

The 90-Line-D is Pinpoint’s newest product innovation for aligning and checking planar squareness and parallelism on assemblies, machinery and equipment. No fuss, easy set-up, and fast, precise results ensure that users can now check gantries, web and roll equipment, presses and CNC machine tools for peak alignment and efficiency. The 90-Line-D is compact, portable and available in wired and wireless versions.
An accurate pentaprism, for bending the laser precisely 90°, redirects an incoming laser beam to a new ‘square’ laser reference line. By rotating the front nosepiece of the 90-Line-D, this laser reference line forms a laser plane for additional alignment and measurements. A fine-adjust feature is included to help direct the laser beam exactly where required, while a built-in detector monitors the incoming laser beam and actively corrects for any misalignments or small errors.
The 90-Line-D is machined from a solid block of aluminium with a durable anodised finish, and features stainless steel components and internal glass optics.
The 90-Line-D is fully compatible with Pinpoint’s Microgage PRO line and works well with a variety of laser receivers, mounts and software options for the Microgage PRO Smart Display and Capture software products.
For further information www.pinpointlaser.com