Renishaw System Helps Reduce Inspection Time
A Madrid-based precision engineering business specialising in complex parts for aerospace and defence applications has invested in a Renishaw Revo five-axis measuring head and probe system. The change has resulted in an inspection time that is up to five times quicker than before, ensuring quality control and inspection keep up with the high-productivity CNC machine tools. 'When we buy a machine tool we specify all the options,' said Juan A Humanes, project manager at Mecanizados Escribano.
'Our customers demand very rigorous part inspection, which means there's always the chance that the metrology department can become a bottleneck, especially when the parts are complex and machined to very tight tolerances. 'Depending on what the customer requests, we inspect between 10 per cent and 100 per cent of machined parts. 'The Renishaw Revo system, recently fitted to a Metris CMM, measures non-prismatic surfaces very quickly, many of which would be difficult or impossible to measure with touch trigger systems.
'In some cases, such as a complex avionics chassis for the Typhoon, the Revo has increased our inspection throughput by a factor of five; typically, up to an 80 per cent reduction in time per part,' he added. The Revo five-axis head is said to be able to overcome the limitations of three-axis scanning methods, where any attempt to rapidly move the large mass of a CMM results in inertial errors caused by accelerations and decelerations. Revo uses synchronised head and machine motion when scanning, rapidly following changes in part geometry without introducing its own dynamic errors.
The CMM is able to move at a constant velocity while measurements are being taken, without impacting accuracy. Revo also offers CMM users infinite head positioning and tip-sensing probe technology, which can improve measurement accuracy by sensing close to the measured surface.
This allows performance in a wide range of scanning measurement applications, including circle, helix, sweep and gasket scanning, plus, if required, rapid single-touch routines.
Most of the CNC machines at the Escribano factory are top end, Japanese or Swiss-built multi-pallet and multi-axis, including Makino, Matsuura, Mazak; Sodick wire EDMs and CNC precision grinders from Jung.
These are all latest models that are well maintained and configured to minimise setup and non-machining time, mostly using Renishaw OMP40 spindle-mounted touch probes and NC4 non-contact laser tool setting systems. Escribano has two small rooms adjacent to the main workshop that house the company's inspection equipment. In the larger of the two rooms, three DEA Global Advance co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) with Renishaw probes check samples of parts for everything from thermal imaging cameras to components destined for the Joint Strike Fighter.
Alongside the main metrology lab is a smaller room housing the company's largest CMM: a Metris LKV CMM equipped with the Renishaw Revo five-axis measuring head and probe system. For most precision engineering businesses, the Metris and Renishaw Revo combination would be enough to cater for metrology needs. But Escribano customers are typically more demanding, which has lead to further investments in other metrology systems such as a white light interferometer microscope for measuring roughness and a contact profile meter capable of assessing the size and texture of a part's surface.
'We specialise in machining complex, five-axis parts in aircraft-grade aluminium, stainless steel, nickel alloys, copper and titanium,' said Humanes. 'The only way to be good at this kind of work is to make the necessary investments in technology and people. 'We have to make sure we can deliver exactly what customers want, when they want it,' he added.
'Our customers demand very rigorous part inspection, which means there's always the chance that the metrology department can become a bottleneck, especially when the parts are complex and machined to very tight tolerances. 'Depending on what the customer requests, we inspect between 10 per cent and 100 per cent of machined parts. 'The Renishaw Revo system, recently fitted to a Metris CMM, measures non-prismatic surfaces very quickly, many of which would be difficult or impossible to measure with touch trigger systems.
'In some cases, such as a complex avionics chassis for the Typhoon, the Revo has increased our inspection throughput by a factor of five; typically, up to an 80 per cent reduction in time per part,' he added. The Revo five-axis head is said to be able to overcome the limitations of three-axis scanning methods, where any attempt to rapidly move the large mass of a CMM results in inertial errors caused by accelerations and decelerations. Revo uses synchronised head and machine motion when scanning, rapidly following changes in part geometry without introducing its own dynamic errors.
The CMM is able to move at a constant velocity while measurements are being taken, without impacting accuracy. Revo also offers CMM users infinite head positioning and tip-sensing probe technology, which can improve measurement accuracy by sensing close to the measured surface.
This allows performance in a wide range of scanning measurement applications, including circle, helix, sweep and gasket scanning, plus, if required, rapid single-touch routines.
Most of the CNC machines at the Escribano factory are top end, Japanese or Swiss-built multi-pallet and multi-axis, including Makino, Matsuura, Mazak; Sodick wire EDMs and CNC precision grinders from Jung.
These are all latest models that are well maintained and configured to minimise setup and non-machining time, mostly using Renishaw OMP40 spindle-mounted touch probes and NC4 non-contact laser tool setting systems. Escribano has two small rooms adjacent to the main workshop that house the company's inspection equipment. In the larger of the two rooms, three DEA Global Advance co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) with Renishaw probes check samples of parts for everything from thermal imaging cameras to components destined for the Joint Strike Fighter.
Alongside the main metrology lab is a smaller room housing the company's largest CMM: a Metris LKV CMM equipped with the Renishaw Revo five-axis measuring head and probe system. For most precision engineering businesses, the Metris and Renishaw Revo combination would be enough to cater for metrology needs. But Escribano customers are typically more demanding, which has lead to further investments in other metrology systems such as a white light interferometer microscope for measuring roughness and a contact profile meter capable of assessing the size and texture of a part's surface.
'We specialise in machining complex, five-axis parts in aircraft-grade aluminium, stainless steel, nickel alloys, copper and titanium,' said Humanes. 'The only way to be good at this kind of work is to make the necessary investments in technology and people. 'We have to make sure we can deliver exactly what customers want, when they want it,' he added.
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