Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs) provide micron-level accuracy, ensuring parts meet design specifications and reducing the likelihood of dimensional errors. This capability contributes to leaner manufacturing operations and ensures customer satisfaction. MEGA Tech walks through the AGILITY® CMMs from Renishaw that helps part and component manufacturers gain confidence in their QC/QA.
Why Traditional Inspection is not Enough?
As industrial products demand more precise and accuracy, traditional inspection technologies are no longer sufficient due to human limitations, error, fatigue, subjectivity, etc. The demands for high-volume, high-speed production, and the need for data-driven insights can determine the success or failure of your operation.
CMMs enable manufacturers to verify that parts meet extremely tight tolerances much better than manual measurement. They are specifically designed to measure complex features, curved surfaces, deep recesses, and intricate part geometries that are difficult or impossible to inspect accurately with traditional tools. This ensures every feature aligns exactly with the original CAD model, which is crucial for safety-critical industries such as aerospace and medical devices.
Modern CMMs allow for collecting vast amounts of data in real-time and, when integrated with manufacturing execution systems (MES) or cloud platforms, allow for immediate process monitoring and data-driven decision-making. This continuous feedback loop helps identify process deviations quickly, allowing for on-the-fly adjustments that prevent further issues. Portable CMMs and in-line measurement systems allow for inspections to occur directly on the shop floor rather than in a dedicated quality lab. This approach minimizes part handling, reduces production downtime, and allows operators to make immediate adjustments to the CNC machines.
CMMs Make the Right Decisions for You
CMMs also generate detailed reports and collect vast amounts of dimensional data that can be used for statistical process control (SPC). Manufacturers can analyze this data to identify process trends, optimize production, and implementproactive maintenance plans (predictive maintenance), leading to continuous improvement. The detailed digital records and reports produced by CMMs provide traceable data for audits and quality certifications, which is essential for demonstrating a commitment to quality and complying to industry standards (such as ISO 9001). Modern CMMs can be integrated into automated, real-time manufacturing systems. This allows for closed-loop feedback, where inspection data is instantly shared with production machines to make immediate decisions and take corrective actions, enhancing overall efficiency and in line with the smart factory concept.
5-axis Multi-sensor System for Demanding Measuring
“We took the award winning REVO 5-axis multi-sensor system and asked ourselves: how can we turn this into an even better solution to meet the challenging demands of high-end manufacturers? The result is the AGILITY range”, Nathan Fielder, Renishaw’s Product Manager for the AGILITY CMM range, explained how they started this project.
Renishaw’s AGILITY® CMM concept integrates the high-speed, flexible REVO® 5-axis probe with diverse sensors onto a single CMM, consolidating multiple inspection tasks and reducing setup time for increased throughput on the shop floor or in labs. Unlike systems based on fixed probes, 5-axis motion enables the stylus to follow a continuous path around complex components without having to leave the surface to index the head.
The REVO probe system enhances the AGILITY CMM by transforming it from a traditional 3-axis measuring machine into a highly dynamic and flexible 5-axis multi-sensor inspection system. This integration provides significant improvements in speed, accuracy, and versatility. The 5-axis motion dramatically reduces measurement cycle times (savings of 15% to 50%), and data collection rates can reach up to 4,000 points per second. This high speed allows for 100% inspection of complex parts, which was previously impractical with traditional methods. The REVO system uses an extensive range of interchangeable probes, which the AGILITY CMM can automatically switch between using a change rack system. This consolidates multiple inspection processes onto a single machine, eliminating the need to transfer parts to other dedicated equipment.
A Variety of Probes for Demanding Measuring
The AGILITY CMM is available in robust shop-floor models and laboratory models. The AGILITY S, shop floor model, provides a highly accurate and robust solution for a production environment where clean air and temperature control cannot be guaranteed. They are available with working volumes ranging from 700 x 900 x 600 mm up to 1600 x 2400 x 1200 mm (X x Y x Z). The AGILITY L, designed for the metrology lab, are specified for a temperature range of 18 oC to 22 oC, and its frames are available with working volumes ranging from 500 x 500 x 500 mm up to 2000 x 3000 x 1600 mm (X x Y x Z). The full range of REVO sensors is available to AGILITY CMM users, which includes tactile touch-trigger and scanning, surface roughness, temperature, ultrasonic thickness measurement and non-contact probes.
Article by: MEGA Tech & Precision Tooling Services Co., Ltd.<< Click Here