The warehouse in our centrally located, Birmingham manufacturing facility, was aware of the need to speed up the good’s inwards inspection process, prior to onward shipping to the machine shop and cutting rooms.
Aluminium extrusions are complex shapes which take up considerable time (and skill levels) in our conventional marking out area, and BAL Group Quality Manager, Peter Gavin identified this as a prime area for improvement, based on a whole gambit of modern technology becoming available.
Several systems were examined before it was determined that the best fit for us was going to be the IM-X-1000 series Image Dimension Measurement System available from Keyence, a well-established and reliable partner in the field of Metrology.
We came in at the lower end of the size range (200mm x 200mm table) with built in capability for scanning in engineering drawings in DXF, PDF, JPEG and even original paper form drawings.
We opted for the laser and touch probe versions to ensure full 3d capability. Relevant dimensions are identified and programmed for measuring and full reporting within a fraction of the times previously taken…. multiple units can also be measured simultaneously, and there is also a facility for use in the production environment with full SPC and process capability output.
All the above is to enhance our current CMM facilities for inspection of finished products.
Up front costs were high, particularly for a company of our size, but when asked, Peter was emphatic that this is a great investment for our future.
by david@dm-design.co.uk
