Product category:
Coordinate measurement arms, systems and software
News Release from: Metris | Subject: Metris LK Ascent co-ordinate measuring machine
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 16 October 2006
Automotive products must have inspection
reports
Many suppliers in the UK automotive sector do not realise that they will soon have to provide inspection reports on manufactured components in a particular format from CMMs.
Many suppliers in the UK automotive sector do not realise that they will soon have to provide inspection reports on manufactured components in a particular format Instead of supplying a list of dimensions supported by statistical process control charts, the results will need to be referenced to the intended vehicle's car-line co-ordinate system, a datum axis running longitudinally from the middle of the front axle
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 2 Oct 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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In this way, the OEM is able to assess tolerance build-up, ensure that components will assemble correctly, and carry out virtual 'gap and flush' checks.
UK carmakers have announced that they intend to follow suit within the next few years.
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One Midlands pressworker that is ahead of the game is West Bromwich Tool and Engineering, which has installed a Metris LK Ascent co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) and CAMIO software capable of providing car-line inspection data.
The component supplier is one of very few in the UK able to fulfill this impending requirement, which will position it well for winning future business.
There are few automotive OEMs in the UK whose vehicles do not include a component from this West Bromwich supplier, predominantly on or behind the dash or inside the doors, but also in cosmetic positions, such as tread plates for covering the rear load space sill.
Recently, the company was awarded the contract to supply two assemblies for the new BMW Mini - the lid and chute for the airbag module, and a bracket assembly for the CD changer.
The extra business prompted a GBP 400,000 investment in further robotic welding cells and the new computer-controlled CMM, which replaced a manual model dating back to the mid 1980s.
Commented Simon Bullows, quality manager at West Bromwich Tool and Engineering, "Our customers are demanding ever tighter tolerance parts and assemblies, pressed and welded to typically +/-0.25 mm.
They also want reliable and repeatable inspection data, especially for safety-significant components, to prove we are achieving a minimum of Cpk 1.67 process capability, although we aim at 2.0, i e, six sigma." The new CMM provides the required SPC reports automatically, supported by graphics, as the inspection cycle progresses.
Previously, with the manual machine, an operator used to have to enter results by hand into an SPC chart, which would take at least an hour for an assembly like the Mini airbag chute.
Furthermore, operator error has been eliminated, both when taking measurements and when transcribing them.
"The LK Ascent gives us the accuracy we need, and more, at an affordable price," continued Bullows.
"It is simple to use, even by new operators after a minimum of training, as we can import photographs of components and fixtures into a graphical front end to show how they should be set up.
It is then a simple matter to click on a photograph to select the appropriate inspection routine.
"Most importantly, the CAMIO software allows us to orientate each component on the CMM in car-line, so all the measured results are referenced back to that datum.
"It will not be long before it will be impossible to win business for major car programmes without this facility.
An alternative would be to subcontract the inspection, but outsourcing such a key function could have negative implications for us in terms of cost, delays and quality of service." A further benefit of the CAMIO software is its ability to import an OEM's CAD model of the component to be manufactured.
The IGES data can then be used to create a program to inspect the part or assembly on the CMM, before it has been pressed and/or welded; even before the press tool has been made.
Unusually, West Bromwich Tool and Engineering has evaluated the overall financial benefit resulting from the number of operator hours saved using the LK CMM and software, compared with the old manual machine.
The result is GBP 69,000 per year, which will translate into a very fast return on investment.
The firm was assisted in its selection of the LK CMM and software by Amrit Singh of the Premium Automotive Research and Development (PARD) programme within Warwick Manufacturing Group's International Automotive Research Centre, located at the University of Warwick.
Singh works on the 'craftsmanship' project, which focuses on raising the quality of luxury vehicles as perceived by customers.
Ford's Premier Automotive Group, which manufactures Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover, is a key partner in the venture and so too is Metris.
Said Mr Singh, "We are currently working with 16 tier-one automotive suppliers in the West Midlands, some of which are West Bromwich Tool and Engineering's customers.
So we are ideally placed to know what they are looking for in their suppliers.
In general, it is better consistency of parts and of measurement data being passed up the supply chain. Request a free brochure from Metris ...
"We help subcontractors to understand how to use inspection data to highlight process capability problems, if there are any, and to present data using various industrial methods to suit the needs of their customers.".
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