Industrial metrology, a world of creation

A field of measurement from 10^-4 -10⁴ mm

Industrial metrology, a world of creation

When to 1970 the Concorde was designed made necessary new systems that overcome the limitations of the existing probes and a group of Rolls-Royce engineers developed a new concept then incorporated other builders of machines of measurement for coordinates. However, this commercial area seemed so bleak that inventors took four years to establish a company, Renishaw, to exploit it.

Today, industrial metrology has reached a development so important that their computers are essential in all processes of transformation that should ensure the dimensional accuracy of products. The two factors which have promoted this development are, on the one hand, the contract based on the specialization of each productive process that requires a uniformity of products allowing its coupling with other suppliers and, on the other hand, the capacity that has shown this industry to develop techniques to give answer to each problem. Today it is possible to accurately measure dimensions between 0.1 microns and 100 metres and there are specific techniques for each group of three-dimensional space.

The field of very small

The quality assurance of the tips of tools or lens coatings requires verification that the coating is complete and uniform with resolutions below the micra. For this application, Renishaw has developed an ultra-fast microscope of 2-D based on the Ramaneffect, called thus by the Indian scientist, Dr. Raman, which defined the principle of scattering of light when a beam of light from a laser beam incident on a surface interacting with the atoms that constitute the material that is inspected. This produces light of wavelength altered in that the number and frequency of atomic changes is determined by Atomic masses and constant force, producing a Raman spectrum that is unique to each material footprint.

Figure 1
Industrial DEA coordinate measurement machines are completed with various accessories such as Five-Unique media which allow an optimal positioning of units to measure




For the fine measurement of three-dimensional units of up 100 x 50 x 150 mm with a resolution of 0.1 microns, Leitz microscope contactless 200 pound, which covers a wide range of medical, orthopaedic applications, available aerospace or construction of watchmaking, machinery and moulds. Demand for chips for computer more and more small and densely populated requires a more precise measurement of positioning and logging components, also in the field of 0.1 micron resolution, for which Brown & Sharpe has developed a machine for measuring coordinate contactless enabling an intelligent interpretation of the data to ensure the reliabilityaccuracy and ease of use of each element.

The largest camp

How to guarantee the precision of levels of a unit of 100 meters in length? It is clear that can build are benches of this size without being cost prohibitive or that they are not affected if possible construction, thermal changes or movements of the Foundation. However, the construction of aircraft and, to a lesser extent, but also in important dimensions of cars require this type of measurement.
To solve it, DEA builds standard benches of the dimensions needed, installs them on the floor of the client and sensors and probes created on the computer of the team a deformable virtual space in each 3-D point of their journey. Thus Lambdaunits have been installedwith up to 100 m route for inspection of high precision of marine engines, structures of airplanes, nuclear reactors and other products that require a modular structure with virtually unlimited volumes of measurement.

Figure 2
It is possible to measurements in conditions difficult at great depth by styles etralargos as the MP700 Renishaw support precisely the palpador head









We have had the opportunity to see how to create your paralelepipédico virtual space, which are carried out measurements, a Bravoteam, also of DEA, for the measurement of body of automobile in industrial environment. This machine is mounted on a simple, roughly parallel, basis of concrete and has on the metal beam translation of two bridges of measurement that they face and are playing their respective probes to moving in a sort of spectacular robotic ballet which defined the position of each transducer in every moment of your travel in three dimensions. To deal with teams operating in difficult conditions, this ballet should be repeated two or three times a year to compensate for the distortion generated by seasonal thermal changes.

Every need, covered

There are processes in which a high speed of measurement is needed to ensure the quality of the final product. An atypical example would be the measurement of the depth of the notch in the bootable openings of covers of aluminum cans, which should enable an easy opening but be at the same time a good sealant closure. Brown & Sharpe developed rapid probes for this application, which requires a resolution of microns.
Sometimes, need measuring elements of machines very deep through holes or other openings, which has been necessary to develop probes with extralarge but equally precise styles as MP700 of Renishaw. In other cases it is not possible to use a mechanical transducer for sensitive it is, especially if it's soft materials that would be deformed by the contact of the transducer. This has led to the development of optical measuring systems, one of them quick vision of Mitutoyo that uses a technique pàra opto-electronic measure accurately numerous industrial applications of small size.

Figure 3
Measuring Leitz Syrian robot operates automatically transducer changes necessary for the measurement in the best position of each of the points of the unit to measure






The wide dissemination of the coordinate measurement would not be possible if not ingenious systems had been developed to reduce the costs of construction of these teams. A notable example is the bridge sloping size machines of DEA; It is a high-precision extruded profile, requires no additional machining, on which the measuring head slides supported by a cushion of air. Elements of Raceway of fine-tuning that sooner or later will suffer wear are deleted as well and it has the additional advantage that, to cease the air pressure that separates the head of the bridge a few micrometers (offset in programming), head not arbitrarily can scroll.
Other applications have required specific techniques also. An example is the scanning of photographic plates used in the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh. The Leitz SuperCOSMOS machine picks up with an optical system planetary bodies with a ultra-elevada precision dimensional and positional data.

Figure 4
Optoelectronic systems allow the measurement without contact in any dimension, including the smaller ones as recorded in the system QuickVision Mitutoyo




Three-dimensional measurement is completed with computer programs to move the machine tools or management centres numerical data necessary for the reproduction of parts, manufacturing moulds or control of the quality and accuracy of the products. Many other elements are the set of techniques available in this field. Among them is remarkable the number of subcontractors who manufacture many of the elements that constitute the machines; on one occasion we wanted to see the means of production of one of the companies we name here to surprise at the fact that were virtually limited to super-precisión machines to verify the constituents that came them from other plants.
Tireless machines including robots of measurement as the Leitz Syrian work 130 hours a week without another requirement that an appropriate environment. Precision measurement has been crucial to enable the development and the reduction of cost of most of the industrial products that make up our standard of living. And all this began 146 years ago with the invention of the Joseph r. Brown Vernier calibre and his apprentice Lucian Sharpe...

 

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