Product category:
General Machining Subcontracting Services
News Release from: Rodmatic | Subject: Tesa-Scan 50 purchase
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 March 2008
Subcontract machinist buys non-contact
gauge
Subcontract machinist has installed a non-contact, optical-based component measurement system to significantly improve productivity and confidence in the high quality work.
Automatic lathe user Rodmatic of Reading, UK, has had installed a Tesa-Scan 50 non-contact, optical-based component measurement system The company said that it had not only improved the level of quality of 100,000 or so turned and mill-turned components that pass through the machine shop every day, but has also significantly improved productivity and quality confidence
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 29 Jun 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Chief inspector at Rodmatic, Colin Bonney, said: "It would often take us 15 to 20 minutes to perform a first-off inspection on one component - but you have to bear in mind there are six spindles on a multi-auto and a part from each has to be checked.
Assuming there are no issues or problems with the parts, that can equate to two hours lost production".
He continued: Worse still, would be further delays should we find an error." The Tesa-Scan 50 checks all six parts in under 5 min.
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It has relieved a huge production bottleneck as it can measure all the features and their geometrical relationships in a single cycle.
The non-contact masurment system provides an important boost to parts quality confidence level.
Rodmatic's managing director, Brian Steatham, commented: "Our setters now perform a full check on six parts every hour or 100 components that confirms that all previous parts meet specification.
The machine also automatically calculates SPC values which has eliminated a major headache to our inspection team.
And, from a management angle, Mr Bonney can focus on other elements of his job involving quality assurance and not be restricted to being drawn into inspection debates".
Once programmed, the Tesa-Scan 50 accepts DXF files from customers.
Also, Bonney said that the machine's 'hands-off' automatic cycle takes away 'feel' and any individual interpretation of results.
It also provides an excellent view of areas such as chamfers, profiles, blends and forms.
He added: "With the magnification and clarity of the CCD camera, it is far easier to view forms generated on components and check for tool condition looking for a chipped tool or excessive or wear that would show up on grooves, for instance, than you could ever see on a 'shadowgraph'" (optical projector - Ed).
Also, with almost continuous inspection, tolerance drift and trends coupled with tool life information, will make predictive tool change and machine adjustment easier to carry out.
Most important, said Rodmatic to manufacturingtalk, is that a machine can be set to the high, mid or low side of the dimensional tolerance to gain longer uninterrupted runs, a viable improvement in machine uptime and hence overall productivity.
The Tesa-Scan 50 checks components up to 50mm diameter by 275mm long for diameter, length, intersection points, radii, threads, forms, runouts, concentricity and roundness.
Internal forms can also be inspected using an impression compound that provides a solid male image that can also be viewed.
* About Rodmatic - Rodmatic has two operating divisions.
One is Rodmatic Multico, which has 38 multi-spindle automatic lathes.
The other is Rodmatic Hytec, the CNC driven smaller batch working operation with mill/turn centres and CNC sliding head automatic lathes.
Altogether, some 1,500 different component types are produced a year in batches that range from 20 to continuous production which means machine setting and inspection of work has an important influence on productivity and machine utilisation.
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