An increase in production orders for new breeds of high-volume and high-value automotive components prompted OMG s.r.l Officine Meccaniche to consider alternative approaches to part inspection. Investments in off-machine gauging and on-machine probing enabled the company to increase manufacturing throughput, avoid rejects and reduce scrap.

Established in 1949, OMG’s manufacturing capabilities span a complete range of automotive component requirements, including engine blocks, cylinder heads and suspension assemblies. Quality, of course, is an essential cornerstone of the company’s business. For many years Renishaw has played an important role as a technology partner to OMG, as Guido Mautino, the company’s COO explains: “Our partnership with Renishaw began in the mid-1990s when we started machining our first engine heads. We needed to take precision measurements directly on the machining centres, so we turned to Renishaw for advice.

“Today we have 23 machining centres fitted with a range of Renishaw machine tool probes,” he continues. “Over the years, this has put us in a position to engage with a variety of global product markets where high-precision measurement during production is a pre-requisite. All our CMMs are fitted with Renishaw PH10 motorised indexing heads.”

In the manufacture of a new engine block, OMG chose to use Renishaw’s OMP60 optical transmission probe for the first time. A compact 3D touch-trigger probe, the OMP60 is used for both initial workpiece set-up and post-machining inspection on a wide range of four- and five-axis machining centres. The probe incorporates a proven kinematic design and interference-free secure modulated transmission to access previously difficult-to-reach workpiece areas. In this case, the OMP60 is used to verify valve seats, transmission gears and other key engine features.

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