CMMs are easy to use and program

Turbomachinery components demand advanced quality control equipment for which a company reviewed its inspection facilities, particularly in the area of co-ordinate measuring machines (CMM) capacity.

The complex turbomachinery components produced by Turbocam Europe demand advanced quality control equipment and the company recently reviewed its inspection facilities, particularly in the area of co-ordinate measuring machines (CMM) capacity.

"As a result of this review it was felt that the time had come to update our capabilities in this area," said Chris Widdop, quality manager at Turbocam.

The CMM replacement had to be able to measure a 'typical' Turbocam component, such as integrally bladed components for the turbomachinery, aerospace and automotive industries.

The chosen CMM had to be user-friendly with simple programming as it would used by machine operators rather than dedicated inspection staff.

"After looking at numerous suppliers, and even considering the upgrade of the existing CMM, the decision was taken to purchase a Wenzel Smart 5 CMM P1 and a Wenzel LH87 with 1000 mm Y axis," said Widdop.

"Wenzel was successful due in part to its use of OpenDMIS measuring software, which allowed for compatibility with our existing in-house manufacturing software, which gave us the confidence that the new CMMs could be integrated into our system without any issues, using part programs from our existing database".

The other factors that influenced the final decision were as follows.

* The high level of quality of the Wenzel product.

* Mechanical accuracy and high precision.

* User-friendly nature of the whole CMM package.

* Handling.

* Competitive price.

* Intelligent service package.

* Level of training.

Also taken into account was that the Turbocam in the USA already had installed a Wenzel CMM.

* About Turbocam Europe - founded in 1991 and based in Fareham Hampshire, Turbocam Europe, is the UK's leading 5-axis machining specialist.

With over 75 5-axis machines within the Group's three manufacturing facilities (USA, UK and India), Turbocam is probably one of the world's largest exponent of five-axis machining.

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