All of these benefits have contributed to a significant improvement in the effectiveness of inspection and reporting at WLR, which has made it possible for the subcontractor to accommodate an increase in orders from a number of different customers. It has also helped to cope with a steadily increasing level of business across the board, which has seen the number of parts ordered by some customers three or four years ago increase by as much as tenfold today. For example, a half dozen parts were ordered by some customers back then, and today that number has increased by up to tenfold. Because of the automation that was implemented in the inspection room as well as on the shop floor, this was accomplished without the need to hire any additional personnel.

The Mechanization of Inspection

By May of 2021, there was a requirement for an additional increase in the capacity of batch measuring. In-process inspection of a particular component family was also mandated as a requirement for one of our customers.

This time, an LK AlteraS 10.10.8 with a working volume of 1,016 x 1,016 x 813 mm was purchased along with the most recent CAMIO 2021 and the additional LK Launchpad software. The dimensions of the working volume are in millimeters. Not only are the two WLR quality inspectors and quality manager Tony Blood able to load parts singly or in batches of up to six at a time with the help of the user-friendly graphical interface, but so are the ten dayshift and five nightshift machine operators.

Launchpad makes it easy to load the appropriate program for inspecting a component. Components can be quickly recognized from the data that has been stored, and details can be retrieved using straightforward graphic menus and icons displayed on a screen that is positioned by the machine. The operator is able to locate the component by selecting the customer by name or via the part category, or by directly calling up the part complete with details of the machining process. Alternatively, the operator can navigate to the component using the part category. The CMM has 12 mm thick aluminum fixture plates that are pre-drilled with a grid of holes at a 50 mm pitch. These plates are fitted across the granite table of the machine, making the CMM's setup process simple and straightforward. The operator just needs to place the component in a numbered location on one of the fixture plates, as shown by the Launchpad graphic, and then start the measuring program by pressing a button on the touchscreen. The Launchpad graphic will guide the operator through this process. WLR vouches for the software's remarkable adaptability and user-friendliness, despite the fact that the process itself is quite powerful.

The same inspection results that appear on the screen next to the machine are also available on networked tablets that are used by machinists on the shop floor; the information can also be shared with other devices. This is done for convenience. In addition to reducing the amount of time spent in downtime and making it possible for more thorough inspections, it also fosters an atmosphere in which machinists feel a sense of ownership over the process. The subsequent step will be to incorporate functionality that enables operators to receive an alert via their tablet when the measuring cycle is complete. This will eliminate the need for the individual to keep an eye on the time.

Additionally, the granite of the larger LK CMM has pre-drilled location plates, which facilitate the loading of components in batches or individually on that machine as well as before the inspection. Launchpad software is also utilized, and as a result, both machines can be utilized by shop floor staff for either operation inspection or batch inspection, further increasing the efficiency of the quality control department.

Programming CMM from within CAD

[color= rgb(0, 176, 240)]Another advantage is the capability to directly program the machines using CAD, which was introduced around the same time as the first LK CMM was delivered.
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Before the arrival of the new LK CMMs, it was sometimes necessary to produce a first-off component for a customer in as many as six operations on a succession of machine tools. After each operation, the part had to be taken back and forth to the inspection department in order to be measured and, if necessary, corrected. After the finished-machining process was complete on the component, it was put to use as the foundation for a measuring program that was being taught to one of the older CMMs.

Now, in the same way that a CAD/CAM system derives directly a metal cutting program from an electronic model of a customer's component, the DMIS inspection cycle for the LK CMM can be created from the same CAD model using LK CAMIO software in advance of the first part being produced. This can be done in the same way that a metal cutting program is derived directly from an electronic model of a customer's component.

CAMIO now performs not only programming but also analysis of the captured data and automatic reporting of the results; as a result, all inspection routines for both LK CMMs are now prepared in this manner, and both CMMs are ready to be used. The measurement program makes it possible for the first-off part to have its quality checked as soon as it is brought to the AlteraS 15.10.8 for the first time. Programming now takes less time than it did in the past, but the most significant benefit is that it can be done off-line. This means that the coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is not being used during this time, cmm inspection services  which enables the inspection of components to proceed without interruption. Together with the advantage of multi-sensor capability, which enables the use of a Renishaw SP25 scanning probe or a Nikon LC15Dx laser scanning head instead of a touch-trigger probe, the amount of measurements that can be carried out in a given amount of time has increased dramatically.

[color= rgb(0, 176, 240)]Blood stated that our new measuring processes can be used by personnel with a wide range of experience levels, which he said was a positive reflection on the successful implementation of the metrology upgrade at WLR. We were able to cut down on wasted time and get rid of inspection bottlenecks thanks to the high degree of automation as well as the ability to increase speed by scanning as well as touch probing.[/color]

We have also been able to improve inspection efficiency thanks to automation and de-skilling of operations, which has allowed us to avoid adding to our headcount. In addition to this, every day there is an additional economic advantage that comes from the fact that our strategy of batch loading allows the CMMs to run unattended for up to two hours at the end of each day shift. This allows us to save time and money.

Parr went on to say that the typical dimensions of the components that we manufacture range from about 5 millimeters square to 115 millimeters in diameter and 250 millimeters in length. They are milled, turned, ground, spark eroded, and diamond lapped from free cutting brass, aluminum, and stainless steel at one end of the scale, but very often they are machined from the toughest of alloys including Inconel 718, Invar, or Hastelloy at the other end of the scale.

Continued Parr, "with machined tolerances normally of the order of  25 microns but exceptionally down to  3 microns, if necessary," he stated that consistency is of the utmost importance, adding that machined tolerances can go as low as necessary. Our highly productive LK CMMs are used to inspect the vast majority of the component parts. Now that we have enough spare capacity, we are able to offer an additional service to our clients that consists of inspecting and certifying certain components that are not manufactured by us specifically for them. This service is offered on an as-needed basis.

In addition, the new metrology room leaves a positive impression on customers when they come to visit us and enhances their opinion of the high-value, high-quality components that we manufacture.