There’s nothing mysterious about the need for calibration. As Michael Wilm, business manager for calibration products, Renishaw Inc., West Dundee, Illinois, put it: “When you get gas for your car, you count on the pump being calibrated. That’s why we calibrate machine tools. If you don’t calibrate a machine tool you have no idea it’s going to give you reliable service for manufacturing your product.”
I’m always amazed by the wide range of technologies that go into the process of machining. At EASTEC 2019, I saw the latest and greatest technology from machine tool builders, cutting tool manufacturers, measurement providers, software developers, and many more.
Mitutoyo America Corp. has announced a sponsorship agreement with Titans of CNC, a free project-based education platform that helps guide students and teachers on CNC machine operation and programming.
Manufacturing workers are financially stressed, which can lead to distractions on the job and increased absenteeism. Helping relieve some of that stress may lead to increased workforce productivity and can give you a strategic advantage in attracting and retaining key talent.
Sunnen Products Co. and Sweden’s Applied Nano Surfaces (ANS) have entered into a joint market development agreement to advance technology and applications based on the unique Triboconditioning process recently patented by ANS. The process reduces friction and wear on various steel and cast iron surfaces while improving surface finish, preventing seizures, and enhancing product life.
A Michigan company that displays instructions for manual manufacturing processes on work stations via augmented reality (AR) is adding wearables to provide similar guidance.
Structured light systems measure surfaces by projecting a pattern of fringes, then using cameras and sophisticated software to convert them into point clouds of metrology data. Accuracy can reach the single-digit microns over millions of points.
Efficient creepfeed grinding can remove material quickly and produce a precision ground surface on challenging materials. However, since creepfeed grinding applications typically draw more power and have higher forces, there are important considerations to pay attention to during application setup.
Producing metal products is one of the most energy intensive industries. Improving both energy and production efficiency, as well as ensuring product quality is at the top of any manufacturers to do list. Engineers should consider using fixed thermal imaging cameras to optimize their manufacturing process.
Describe Hexagon’s latest moves in factory automation, including unifying its metrology software with its CAD/CAM and other manufacturing software.