OGP UK and Verus Metrology Partners have shaken hands on a formal partnership designed to help customers improve their production processes.

The deal will see all bespoke jigs and fixtures for OGP UK supplied by Verus Metrology Partners, alongside an agreement for OGP UK to supply V-FIX – the modular metrology fixture product from Verus – for non-bespoke fixture solutions.
Following the inception of Verus in 2008, the company’s relationship with OGP UK has been critical to its success in establishing a global customer base. From its headquarters in Sligo, Ireland, and a laboratory in Nottingham, the business designs and manufactures metrology fixtures and performs subcontract measurement for clients in medical device manufacture, the consumer goods industries, and the aerospace and automotive sectors.
Verus owns and operates 13 OGP SmartScope machines from the CNC and ZIP ranges, using them to provide customers with metrology fixture and programme packages, and helping to accelerate new product introductions.
UK operations director for Verus, Jon Banner, says: “We’ve used OGP from day one and the majority of our key clients also have OGPs. The optics, I believe, are best-in-class. With optical measurement, if you can see something, you can measure it. We often find that the accuracy can comfortably be sub-micron, and we rely on the machines to measure with repeat accuracy every day.
“We’re delighted that we’ve signed a partnership agreement with OGP UK for the supply of V-FIX,” he continues. “V-FIX was designed predominantly around OGP SmartScope capabilities; it allows light through so that the optics are easy to use. It also holds the parts firmly so you can actually use touch probes as well, making it a full multi-sensor metrology kit.”
For further information www.ogpuk.com

The demonstration room at the Burton-on-Trent headquarters of Blum Novotest UK has been upgraded to feature all of the company’s technology, including the recently launched Digilog family.

A Bridgeport GX710 vertical machining centre, fitted with Fanuc 0i control, is now available for existing and potential clients to see real-time demonstrations of in-machine measurement.
“Initially, the purpose of the machine was for the development of our UK engineers, so they could quickly get up to speed with the products and software being introduced,” explains Nathan Baulk, engineering manager. “This means, when we interact with customers, we know exactly how the Blum technology can help their business, and support fast installation, servicing and maintenance.
“We quickly realised, however, that we could use the facilities to let manufacturers see the performance of the products first-hand, before they invest,” he continues. “This has proven very popular, and we’ve even had clients bringing their own parts along so they can witness the improvements in speed and accuracy on an actual production component. The confidence this gives them to make the investment is huge.”
Blum-Novotest is commencing an ambitious roll-out of newly developed technology and products this year, and has strengthened its team with the appointment of a dedicated technical sales engineer. Paul Hodgkinson brings with him an extensive network of contacts and more than 11 years’ experience working in the industrial automation and machine tool sectors. He will be responsible for working with the sales team to better understand the requirements of subcontractors and the support they require to make the most of Blum’s in-machine measuring technology.
For further information www.blum-novotest.com

The 6DoF vProbe, a hand-held tactile probing system, has been released by API for use with its portable Radian Pro and Plus laser tracker range.

The probe extends the dimensional measurement capabilities of the laser trackers to perform part inspections conventionally undertaken by fixed CMMs. Availability is via UK reseller OR3D Ltd.
API vProbe, which is wirelessly operated, allows the measurement of intricate part features, including those beyond the tracker’s line-of-site, providing fast and accurate manual part inspections. The device, combined with a laser tracker, can deliver more measurement versatility than a portable-arm CMM, while being more accurate and better suited to larger parts, says API. The portability of the API Radian Plus laser tracker with vProbe allows measurements to be made directly on the shop floor and, in many cases, when a large part is still in situ on large machine tools.
vProbe with easy-hold grip turns a laser tracker into a portable CMM with its integrated, repeatable, quick-change ruby styli, while offering tactile scanning featuring instant part alignment correlation feedback. The probe offers a six-hour battery life, LED indicator and dual styli mount with toggle switch that can carry stylus extensions of up to 500 mm.
For further information https://apisensor.com/

A specialist in precision positioning devices for high-accuracy rotary and angular inspection systems, RPI UK, will be launching the QuadProfile at Control 2019 in Stuttgart (7-10 May). On stand 7180, the company will also be previewing its RotoScan system.

RPI’s sales manager Jim Palmer says: “QuadProfile delivers newly developed capability to the CMM market as the smallest and most accurate rotary table for turbine blade inspection. We will also be demonstrating our prototype RotoScan, which is a robotic system that automates circular geometry in the same way that it has previously been achieved for non-contact metrology.”
According to RPI, the company has more than 750 successful CMM rotary table installations worldwide. Quadrant range rotary tables provide an additional axis for any high-precision CMM inspecting parts such as gas turbine discs and fan blades. Not only does this simplify the measurement procedure, it helps to deliver fast and accurate indexing, as well as increase the CMM’s application range and effective measuring volume.
The latest addition to the Quadrant range, QuadProfile, is said to enable the ultimate in low-profile and compact rotary table design for the
CMM market.
Also on the stand, RotoScan has been designed to automate the inspection of heavy-duty circular components with large diameters, such as bearings, aerospace castings and rotors. The system uses a robot to automate the inspection capability of components using traditional contact metrology techniques. RotoScan has been developed with AccuScan software and complements other assembly platforms such as iMAP and GeoSpin.
In addition to these developments, RPI will be demonstrating its LabStandard range, which offer sub arc second angular accuracy and precision geometry for inspection and calibration laboratories, with the versatility of both single and dual-axis configuration.
For further information www.rpiuk.com

Manufactured in the UK by LK Metrology, the latest Altera range of CMMs has been coupled with Renishaw’s REVO-2 scanning system and multi-sensor technology to offer manufacturers a five-axis solution for inspecting the dimensional accuracy and surface finish of components.

A notable design feature of the newly developed SCANtek 5 package is the ceramic construction of the CMM beam and spindle, which combines optimal stiffness-to-weight ratio for responsiveness with mechanical and thermal stability.
The SCANtek 5 multi-sensor package includes Renishaw’s MODUS software for importing data, controlling the CMM, acquiring results and reporting – including GD&T labelling. High scanning speeds boost measurement throughput, shorten production lead-times, provide awareness of product conformance, and prevent the metrology department from becoming a bottleneck.
LK’s SCANtek 5 is available in a variety of standard measuring volumes from 800 x 700 x 600 mm (8.7.6) to 6000 x 2000 x 1000 mm (60.20.10), with larger options. The Alteram models with repeatability from 1.5 µm are being marketed alongside an Altera SL range offering repeatability from 0.7 µm. LK says it is so sure of the long-term performance of these premium machines that it is the only CMM manufacturer to offer a 10-year accuracy guarantee.
Ready for operation immediately it arrives in the inspection room or on the shop floor, the five-axis CMM gives users a competitive advantage, making it easier to win new work and speed product development. A three-axis measuring solution, by contrast, is often unable to measure some complex features.
Scanning at up to 500 mm/s, without the stylus leaving the surface of the component, allows the co-ordinates of up to 4000 points to be captured ‘on-the-fly’ every second, a rate of data acquisition far higher than is possible using conventional probing techniques.
For further information www.lkmetrology.com