Phase Vision Speeds Aerospace Component Production
White light scanning equipment from Phase Vision has helped save costs and time in the reverse engineering of a key aerospace component. Tower Tool Company, a specialist engineering toolmaker, was commissioned by Meggitt Polymer Solutions to reverse engineer a new tool to produce a component for a helicopter from a CAD model of the component. Once the tool was designed, Tower Tool was keen to verify its accuracy against the existing CAD model.
Key to this was developing a highly accurate representation of the new tool, for which Tower Tool investigated a number of methods. The use of co-ordinate measurement machines (CMM) was discounted because of their inability to measure more than one point at a time, meaning it would have taken days or even weeks to develop an accurate CAD representation.
Laser scanning was also considered and while speed was not an issue, there were concerns over the accuracy of the results produced. However, by employing the Phase Vision Quartz range of white light scanners, speed and accuracy were combined, delivering a set of readings within a few minutes that created a highly accurate CAD model of the new tool to be produced. An inspection report was then produced to show compliance to the requirements of the original CAD representation.
Key to this was developing a highly accurate representation of the new tool, for which Tower Tool investigated a number of methods. The use of co-ordinate measurement machines (CMM) was discounted because of their inability to measure more than one point at a time, meaning it would have taken days or even weeks to develop an accurate CAD representation.
Laser scanning was also considered and while speed was not an issue, there were concerns over the accuracy of the results produced. However, by employing the Phase Vision Quartz range of white light scanners, speed and accuracy were combined, delivering a set of readings within a few minutes that created a highly accurate CAD model of the new tool to be produced. An inspection report was then produced to show compliance to the requirements of the original CAD representation.
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