Height gauge outpaces CMM on gear inspection

Motorised, programmable height gauge, which is very simple to use and much quicker to program than a gear maker's CMM has cut the factory's inspection time just about in half.

Motorised, programmable height gauge, which is very simple to use and much quicker to program than a gear maker's CMM has cut the factory's inspection time just about in half.

Gerhardt Gear, a 54 person operation in Burbank, California, USA, has been known for their specialty gear work since 1982.

General manager John Kim says the company had been using a large CMM for many of their dimensional measurements until about a year ago when it was 'basically replaced' by a CX1 Digimar Height Gage from Mahr Federal.

The Digimar CX1 is part of a family of motorised, programmable height measuring systems which offer a combination of features and performance previously available only in higher priced equipment.

The line is well suited for both gage laboratory and production measurement use.

"We are very pleased with the Digimar," said Kim.

"It is very simple to use, very simple to program, and much quicker to program than the CMM.

But the real advantage of the Digimar Height Gage is its speed of measurement.

Kim said Gerhardt Gear uses the CX1 in its lab for a wide range of measurements - including IDs/ODs, linear measurements and positions, and center to center distances - and that: "It has cut our inspection time just about in half.

Kim cited one example where it took the CMM nearly 20 mins to perform a certain measurement.

"The Digimar did the same measurement in less than a minute," he said.

All Digimar Height Gages from Mahr Federal feature fully motorised measuring slides that minimise operator influence on part probing for greater measurement precision and repeatability.

Key measuring functions can be executed with a single press of a button; and readily programmable measuring routines make it possible to sample batches of mass produced parts quickly and easily.

Numerous measuring and evaluation functions include the measurement of planes, grooves, bores and shafts, and the calculation of distances and symmetries.

'Max-Min' measurements are also supported, as are perpendicularity measurements in conjunction with a digital dial indicator.

Canned routines for basic features and simple teach and learn techniques make it easy to program the CX1 for a wide range of measurement tasks.

Gerhardt Gear likes the Digimar so much it is considering another one for the shop floor, Kim said.

"Operators are not as kind to equipment as the folks in the lab, but we think the Digimar is rugged enough and is so easy to operate that it will do just fine.

And because every measurement is programmable, it will really help with our in-process inspection.

* About Mahr Federal - Mahr Federal, a member of the Mahr Group, is known worldwide for its expertise in providing dimensional measurement solutions.

The ISO 9001:2000-certified company manufactures and markets a wide variety of dimensional metrology products, and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

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