Coordinate Measuring System

COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINE 1

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Institution

COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINE 2

Coordinate Measuring System

Introduction

Speed, precision, and repeatability are some of the critical competitive requirements in

modern manufacturing. Companies need to ensure that they have a system that operates with at

most precision, high speed and also flexible (Tsai and Hung, 2005). The customer and the market

need keep on changing and for companies to remain competitive; they must ensure that they

respond to changing customer needs (Lay et al., 2003). The need to meet the customer demands

requires companies to ensure that their production rate matches the rate of consumption of their

product in the market so that the consumers do not feel any shortage. A shortage of products in

the markets might have various financial effects on the company by giving a chance to

competitors to start taking over the market and also may affect the customer loyalty to the

organization (Lay et al., 2003). Therefore, to meet this increased demand and to have continued

supply of products in the market, companies should ensure that they have a continuous flow of

products in the market it is essential to incorporate flexible manufacturing systems and

automation into their production processes. Flexible manufacturing systems and automation

increases the company’s productivity and eliminates losses through reduced defective products.

One of the critical systems that can be used to speed production is the Coordinate Measuring

Machine.

Feedback System and Statistical Control

Dimensional feedback is an important aspect of modern manufacturing as the process

depends on the information from the measuring system to control the features of the products

(Lay et al., 2003). It is important to incorporate a feedback system into a manufacturing process

as a way of improving the dimensional qualities of the coming products so that they meet the

required design features. Therefore, a metrology system chosen for a manufacturing process

must have a feedback system which aids in the statistical control of the manufacturing process

(Lay et al., 2003). The quality and the dimensions of the parts can be affected by various factors

during the manufacturing process which includes changes in temperature, wear, and tear of the

machining parts among other issues that may end up interfering with the dimensions of the final

product. The feedback system, therefore, plays an important role by correcting such errors

(Hocken and Pereira, 2016).

The information feedback system feeds back the dimensions of the final product to the

system which then calculates the error according to design parameters and corrects it on the

incoming products (Hocken and Pereira, 2016). A metrology system that operates using an

information feedback system would help in reducing the number of defects as a result of the

temperature changes and wear and tear. The information feedback mechanism tracks the quality

if the part and gives the feedback directly to the manufacturing process for the improvement of

the process control. Therefore, the company must consider adopting a metrology system with a

reliable information feedback system that will help in improving the manufacturing process

control to reduce the number of defective products and also to improve accuracy during

production.

Measurement Accuracy and Tolerance

Accuracy and tolerance are important aspects of metrology systems that every

manufacturing company should consider when selecting measurement systems for their

manufacturing. Tolerance is used in this case to refer to the allowable error within an item or the

allowable deviation from the designer’s intent and the finished product (Cheng et al., 2012).

Various factors can affect the dimensional properties of a product such as changes in temperature

COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINE 3

and wear which makes it deviate from the designer’s intent when it finally becomes a finished

product. If the errors arising from the production process cannot be tolerated, then most of the

products will be considered unacceptable (Cheng et al., 2012). Therefore, tolerance gives an

acceptable range in which each product produced must meet. Accuracy in this refers to the

degree of correctness of the measurement. The accuracy of measurement equipment can be used

to determine how accurate how the results of the measurement will be (Cheng et al., 2012).

Therefore when selecting a metrology system, the company should consider a system with higher

accuracy and an acceptable tolerance range so that it does not reject products with slight errors

and it does not also pass products with big errors.

Reverse Engineering

Reverse engineering is an important aspect of manufacturing as it helps companies to

respond to customer needs by making parts using existing parts and tools (Hocken and Pereira,

2016). As customer needs continue to be dynamic with customized products being the order of

manufacturing, reverse engineering helps companies to save on the cost of designing new

products, but they can rely on the existing models and parts to make new products (Cheng et al.,

2012). Therefore, a metrology system should be designed to have features that allow for data

collection for reverse engineering. Having an integrated metrology system that collects data and

dimensional results and feeds them back to the system helps in controlling the manufacturing

process as well as enabling reverse engineering which is an essential part of modern

manufacturing.

Measurement Environment

The measurement environment in metrology refers to various aspects of the

measurements that the manufacturing process requires which determines the types of system to

be chosen. The measurement environment includes aspects such as the size of the products to be

inspected, the recommended production speed and the nature of the parts being produced (Tsai

and Hung, 2005). It is important to note how large are the samples to be measured before settling

on the type of measuring system to use for the inspection of the products. Different types of

equipment are needed for measuring different sizes of parts. Therefore, in selecting a metrology

system for inspection, the company will have to consider the production volume, the size of the

products to be inspected, and the complexity of the features among other components. A

coordinate measuring machine will be appropriate to meet the above features due to its ability to

be automated to give feedback information and its ability to measure components in three-

dimensional approaches.

Coordinate Measuring Machine

Coordinate measuring machine is a device that measures the physical geometrical

characteristics of an object (Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, 2018). An operator can

manually control the coordinate measuring machines or it can be automated. The measurements

are taken by a probe that is attached to the moving axis of the machine. Coordinate measuring

machine is an important device in manufacturing for inspection due to its high accuracy and

precision (Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, 2018). The coordinate measuring machine helps

in comparing the completed part with the design intent. The coordinate measuring machine

accurately and precisely detects the positions of the X, Y and Z coordinates of the objects hence

ensuring that the object meets the preset dimensions and that all the features are according to the

design parameters.

Benefits of Using a Coordinate Measuring Machine

COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINE 4

The coordinate measuring machine will help to save the company time and money due to

its automated features (Nikon, 2018). Due to the standardization requirements, it is essential to

have automated and precise measurement services so that the rate of production can be increased

and defects can also be reduced. The CMM offers an efficient and reliable inspection service that

provides the results that most companies require (Nikon, 2018). The CMM system eliminates the

needs to establish a dimensional lab for the inspection of components or the need to carry large

parts from the shop floor to the inspection lab which adds costs the production. The CCM offers

an easier and accurate way of inspecting all the parts and their features in a three-dimensional

perspective hence ensuring that the product meets the design requirements. A coordinate

measuring machine digitizes the measured parts for inspection or creation of models (Hexagon

Manufacturing Intelligence, 2018). The company should consider adopting a CMM for their

inspection metrology system due to its flexibility since it can be used to measure components in

three dimensions, planner (two-dimensions) and linear measurement. The flexibility of the CMM

will be appropriate for the new system due to the relatively small component sizes less than 8

meters. The flexibility of the CMM system makes a suitable metrology system for inspection

since it can be used to inspect a wide range of products without having to buy a new set of

equipment.

Due to the dynamic nature of most markets and the changing customer demands,

organizations must ensure that they modify their products all the time to respond to the market

changes and the consumer wants (Bridges et al., 2014). Using a coordinate measuring machine

offers companies a better way of changing their products without having to change the metrology

system as well (Bridges et al., 2014). The CMM has a Cartesian movable bridge design that

makes it easy for evaluating various products. Some advanced coordinate measuring machines

have been designed with a multi-jointed measurement device that allows for greater freedom of

motion and part accessibility during the inspection. A CMM is a perfect machine for the project

due since it can be used to inspect man components at slightly higher rate. Therefore, since the

components to be inspected are less than 10, the machine will be ideal as the company will not

have to change the metrology system in case it increases the amount of products it produces.

Mass production requires a system that can be automated to increase the speed of inspection and

also to help in collecting statistical data to control the manufacturing process. Since the company

produces the components in mass, a CMM will be the most appropriate machine for the

inspection of the components. Also, most of the CMM machines have adjustable tolerance level

and hence makes them appropriate choice for the tolerance level required by the company.

The CMM can be automated to aid in data collection and incorporate feedback

mechanism used to improve and control the manufacturing process (Bridges et al., 2014). The

CMM is designed to operate on manufacturing-based activity. The latter implies that there is a

reduced lag from the production to the evaluation process. The latter also helps in eliminating

other problems related to thermal stabilization and logistical issues (Hocken and Pereira, 2016).

The CMM can be integrated directly into the machine tool to control the production process and

to improve the accuracy of the whole process. The integration results in a reduction in the

production measurement lag result in known fixture state and provide direct feedback to the

machine tool controller.

Conclusion

A metrology or measurement system is an integral part of manufacturing, and the quality

of the product, as well as the speed of production, depends on the choice of a metrology system.

There are several considerations that one should consider when selecting a metrology system.

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The factors include the measurement environment, the accuracy and tolerance required and the

feedback data required. A coordinate measuring machine is a perfect device for inspection during

manufacturing of components due to its various advantages. Therefore, the company should

consider installing CMM system in their inspection to speed up productivity as well as to help in

controlling the process.

References

Bridges, R.E., Briggs, C.H. and Hoffer Jr, J.M., FARO Technologies Inc, 2014. Coordinate

measurement machines with removable accessories. U.S. Patent 8,677,643.

Cheng, F.T., Huang, H.C. and Kao, C.A., 2012. Developing an automatic virtual metrology

system. IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, 9(1), pp.181-188.

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. (2018). Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. [online]

Available at: http://www.hexagonmi.com/en-US/ [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

Hocken, R.J. and Pereira, P.H. eds., 2016. Coordinate measuring machines and systems. CRC

Press.

Lay, O.P., Dubovitsky, S., Peters, R.D., Burger, J.P., Ahn, S.W., Steier, W.H., Fetterman, H.R.

and Chang, Y., 2003. MSTAR: a submicrometer absolute metrology system. Optics

Letters, 28(11), pp.890-892.

Nikon, N. (2018). Nikon Metrology Blog. [online] Nikon Metrology Blog. Available at:

https://blog.nikonmetrology.com/ [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

Tsai, M.J. and Hung, C.C., 2005. Development of a high-precision surface metrology system

using structured light projection. Measurement, 38(3), pp.236-247.

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