QMT Sept FC 29/8/08 18:08 Page 1

www.qmtmag.com

september 2008

LC60D - Revolutionizing CMM Laser Scanning

www.metris.com
APR08_iFC.qxp 25/03/2008 17:38 Page 1

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p3 contents.qxp 29/08/2008 18:32 Page 16

CONTENTS

September 2008
News and comment 4

Blisks & integrated measurement 8

A complex new product development, Blisks, for the huge
JSF programme, presents an unprecedented challenge
for Rolls-Royce on how to integrate CMM measurement
technologies into new manufacturing processes.

Laser radar in its sights 14

Janicki Industries utilizes laser radar measurement tech-
nology to develop innovative composite tooling for
large-scale lightweight prototype aircraft.

Front cover:
Metris Focus on NIST 18
www.metris.com The US National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) plays a significant role in underpinning US eco-
nomic and technological development. By Thomas
Shattuck

Editor: Brendan Coyne Wenzel - the first 40 years 21

Email: brendan.coyne@qmtmag.com 40 Years of Wenzel Precision are being celebrated this
Tel: 00 44 1580 715152 year. Strategic acquisitions look set to play a major role
Media Director: Dawn Wisbey
in the company’s drive for dynamic growth.
Email: dawn.wisbey@qmtmag.com
Tel: 00 44 208 2897011
Mob: 0044 797 4640371
CMMs 23
Website: www.qmtmag.com
Surface and form measurement 25
Quality Manufacturing Today , pub-
lished eight times a year, is a print and
on-line magazine for the quality, Micro & nanometrology 26
measurement and test industry pro-
moting improvements in manufactur-
ing processes and products through
Global approach to QMS 28
quality control and quality manage- World leading industrial fasteners company, Anixter
ment - from shopfloor to line and Fasteners, has standardised its global quality manage-
enterprise management.
ment system on a single platform solution.
Quality Manufacturing Today is pub-
lished by Cranbrook Media Ltd.
Registered company No. 06048241
Registered office: The Coach House,
Lift off for Burcas 30
Angley Road, Cranbrook, Kent, A supply chain development programme based on a six
TN17 2LE, UK. sigma and Lean approach leads to a £1m aerospace
Printers: Premier Press, Southend
contract for Burcas.
© Cranbrook Media Ltd.
SPC & data collection 33

Food inspection gets better 34

New inspection X-ray technology developed by European
researchers is helping to ensure that the only thing in
people’s dinners is the food itself.

Materials testing 36

Inspex 2008 focuses on quality 37

Inspex 2008 is the event for the UK’s quality manufactur-
Product and feature article ing professionals to check out the latest in test, measure-
enquiries
Log on to www.qmtmag.com for
ment and inspection technologies.
direct links to companies and
products featured in this issue.
www.qmtmag.com

QMT September 08 www.qmtmag.com 3

p4,5,6 news.qxp 29/08/2008 12:29
Applus+ acquires lead-
ing US NDT group
Applus+, one of the largest
certification companies in the
world, has acquired the JanX
Integrity Group (“JanX”), a US
market leader in non-destruc-
tive testing and inspection
(NDTI). JanX will be integrated
in Applus RTD, the largest
NDTI provider worldwide,
strengthening its strategic posi-
tion and increasing its service
offering in the US. This opera-
tion will allow Applus+ to
reach revenues of $100M in
the USA.
This is the second acquisi-
tion since The Carlyle Group,
and a consortium led by Caixa
Catalunya, took over the
majority of the company last
November. Applus+ started
2008 by buying MBI, a UK
leader in NDT.
www.applus.com
Technology acquisitions
for Wenzel
Global precision CMM com-
pany, Wenzel, has announced
two new acquisitions -
Knotenpunkt GmbH and
Volumetrik GmbH. Volumetrik
is a X-ray computer tomogra-
phy company and
Knotenpunkt is a manufactur-
er of reverse engineering soft-
ware, technology and CNC
controllers - for more details,
see feature on Wenzel on
page 21 of this issue.
www.wenzel-group.cmm
New Bowers training
and distribution facility
The Bowers Metrology Group
has recently opened a new
distribution and training facility
in Shanghai, China. The
2,500 square metre facility will
serve as the Chinese distribu-
tion hub for the company’s
Continued on page 5
4 www.qmtmag.com
Page 4
NEWS
Editor’s comment
With all the uncertainty over
the economy, caused by the
banks and financial sectors
collective irresponsibility over
sub prime lending on a
gigantic scale, it’s great to
hear some positive news. I
mean Team GB’s medal haul
in the Olympics. The best for
over a hundred years and
fourth in the medal table
behind China, USA and
Russia, but ahead of
Germany, Japan, France and
Italy..
Why did it take so long?
Perhaps the difference this
time was that the UK thought
strategically, put in invest-
ment and promoted a culture
of improvement and self
belief - all things which can
be directly translated into the
competitive manufacturing
arena. Surely, there are les-
sons to be learned here for
any nation seeking to
improve its manufacturing
position - or indeed, any
other endeavour.
One of the keys has to be
an ability to think and see
strategically and to recognise
what is actually happening
on the ground.
Clearly, when it comes to
the sub prime fiasco, there
was either an unwillingness
or, perhaps worse, an inabili-
CNES builds 3,000 tonne tension compression rig
Corus Northern Engineering
Services (CNES) has manufac-
tured a 3,000 tonne hydraulic
test rig for Oil States Industries
(UK) Ltd based in Aberdeen.
The press is a complete tension
compression test rig, which will
be delivered to an Oil States
customer in China, Tianjin Pipe
Corporation (TPCO), who will
use it to ensure its seamless
steel pipe is fit-for-purpose.
The press measures 13m(L) x
ty to think and see the reality.
I would like to think that
those who are familiar with
quality assurance and quality
control culture, such as read-
ers of QMT, would have
made a better job of it all -
after all, we have the culture,
tools, technologies and tech-
niques to envision, map,
monitor, control and improve
systems! Surely, some sort of
quality audit would have pro-
duced plenty of corrective
actions in the sub prime
process? Or is it the case
that the financial sector had
plenty of quality systems,
which complied with the
appropriate standards but
didn’t deal with the funda-
mentals i.e.an efficient sys-
tem producing what the mar-
ket apparently wanted, con-
sistently, reliably, but which
was poison for the world?
Brendan Coyne
2m (H) x 2.5m (W) and weighs
just over 70 tonnes.
Oil States Industries is a
global provider of deepwater
production products and sub-
sea pipelines for the offshore
and onshore oil and gas
industries. The test laboratories
at Aberdeen are accredited to
UKAS ISO 17025 and have
their own in-house designed
2,000 tonne hydraulic press.
www.corusnes.com
IN BRIEF
Free 5-axis measure-
ment seminars
World leading metrology
companies Renishaw, Metris,
Mitutoyo and Wenzel, and
CAD/CAM developer
Delcam, are holding a series
of free half-day UK seminars
in Autumn 2008 covering
Renishaw's Renscan5 five-axis
measurement technology,
including the award-winning
REVO measuring head. Each
of the events will cover the
operation and applications
for the new system, compati-
ble software packages, its
suitability as a retrofit option,
but fundamentally the huge
throughput benefits that the
new technology can bring to
users of co-ordinate measur-
ing machines (CMMs).
The first event will be held
at Metris near Derby on 9th
September, followed by an
11th September event at
Wenzel in Gloucester and
then at Mitutoyo's Andover
offices on September 17th.
During November there will
be events at Renishaw's
Wotton-under-Edge head-
quarters on Tuesday 4th, at
Delcam's Birmingham head-
quarters on Tuesday 18th,
and concluding with a north-
ern event at Mitutoyo in
Halifax on Thursday 20th
November.
To register for the seminars,
please use the on-line booking
form at:
www.renishaw.info/roadshow,
or contact Katie Hibbitt on
01453 524414.
QMT September 08
p4,5,6 news.qxp 29/08/2008 12:29
NEWS
bore gauging products that
are manufactured in Bowers’
hi-tech manufacturing plant in
Bradford, West Yorkshire.
With exports currently
accounting for 79% of compa-
ny turnover, Bowers plan to
expand the new facility further
in the near future, with Bowers
Shanghai acting as a distribu-
tion base for the company’s
new range of Eseway Premium
Rockwell Hardness Testers.
www.bowers.co.uk
Automated Precision
and Metris joint
distributor agreement
Automated Precision, Inc. and
Metris have announced the
formation of a joint distributor
agreement. API will become a
non-exclusive distributor for
the Metris MCA Articulated
Arm and the ModelMaker
hand held scanner. At the
same time Metris will become
a non-exclusive distributor of
the API’s Tracker3 Laser
Tracker.
www.metris.com
www.apisensor.com
Hexagon German
machine tool probe
acquisition
Hexagon has acquired all out-
standing shares in m&h
Group. The Group consists of
the three German companies
m&h Inprocess Messtechnik
GmbH, m&h Inprocess
International Trading GmbH
and m&h Inspect GmbH.
m&h is a leading developer,
manufacturer and distributor
of machine tool probes includ-
ing related software and serv-
ices
www.mh-inprocess.com
Hexagon to acquire the
Chinese company
Hexagon has entered into an
agreement to acquire Chinese
company, Serein Metrology
(Shenzhen) Co. Serein
Metrology develops and pro-
duces a wide range of
advanced precision measuring
instruments in the micro area
of the measurement technolo-
gies market. The company
provides high quality products,
QMT September 08
Page 5
EVENTS
8-13 September 2008 The Measure of Success
IMTS08 International
Manufacturing Technology
Show
Chicago, Illinois, USA
www.imts.com
16-18 September 2008
NDT 2008
The 47th Annual Conference
of The British Institute of Non-
Destructive Testing
Shrigley Hall Hotel, near
Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK
www.bindt.org
24 - 25th September 2008
MEDTEC Ireland Conference
Galway, Ireland
www.medtecireland.com
www.inspex.co.uk/
October 7 - 8th 2008
Northern Manufacturing exhi- Measure everything
bition
Sheffield, UK
www.industry.co.uk
as easy as a cube.
October 21 -22nd 2008 FARO‘s portable 3D measurement
TCT exhibition & systems make measuring com-
MM Live Exhibition
Ricoh Arena, Coventry plex objects easy. This includes
www.time-compression.com alignment, calibration, inspection,
www.micromanu.com
reverse engineering, and as built
October 27 - 30, 2008
documentation with a measuring
4th Annual European Lean, Six
Sigma & Process Improvement range between 0 and 70m and
Summit
accuracies up to 5 microns.
Hotel Okura, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands
www.europeanleansixsigma.com
November 5-6th 2008
Manufacturing Technology
exhibition
Dublin, Ireland
www.industry.co.uk
November 18-20th 2008
AeroTest America
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
www.aerotestamerica.com
3 -6th December 2008
Euromold 2008 exhibition
Exhibition Fair Ground,
Frankfurt / Main, Germany More information at www.faro-products.com
www.euromold.com or 00 800 3276 7253
FARO, THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS are aregistered trademarks and trademarks of FARO Technologies Inc.
© 2008 FARO Europe GmbH & Co. KG. All Rights Reserved.
p4,5,6 news.qxp 29/08/2008 12:29
solutions and services to the
automotive industry, aerospace
and defence industry, engi-
neering industry, die and
mould industry, electronics, IT
and medical industry.
Serein Metrology is based in
Shenzhen, China, and today
employs 98 people. The com-
pany had a turnover of
approximately 4 MUSD in
2007 and is expected to grow
at a double digit rate in the
years to come
www.serein.com.cn
US office for NanoSight
NanoSight, the nanoparticle
characterization company, has
opened offices in the USA at
Morganville, New Jersey, to
provide local sales, applica-
tions and service support to
their growing family of users.
NanoSight will share facili-
ties with the complementary
US nanotechnology company,
XiGo Nanotools, a company
applying NMR technology for
nanoparticle characterization.
www.nanosight.co.uk
6 www.qmtmag.com
Page 6
NEWS
Food testing lab for
Beijing
Intertek, international provider
of quality and safety services,
has opened a new food testing
laboratory in the southwest
area of Beijing, China to offer
an array of services to manu-
facturers, distributors, and
retailers who produce, import,
buy and sell food products in
Beijing and Northern China.
www.intertek.com
European workshop
maps metrology
priorities
Following a roadmapping
workshop held last May at
Loughborough, and co-spon-
sored by CEMMNT (Centre of
Excellence in Metrology and
Nano Technologies), a report
has been published highlight-
ing the trends, challenges and
opportunities facing measure-
ment and characterisation. The
workshop comprised of a
diverse group of experts gath-
ered from across Europe with
interests in measurement and
characterisation and design of
micro and nano technology
based products and systems.
http://cemmnt.co.uk
ECONOMIC
INDICATORS
UK vehicle production
rises in July
“Car output rose by 1% in July
(to 131,079 units) and is posi-
tive for the year to date,” said
Paul Everitt, SMMT chief execu-
tive. “The Qashqai+2, which
was recently launched at the
British International Motor
Show, has gone into produc-
tion and it is expected that the
Sunderland plant will produce
around 270,000 of both ver-
sions of Qashqai in 2008 and
an estimated 450,000 vehicles
will come off the line in total.
Commercial vehicle produc-
tion saw exceptional growth of
50% in July 2008 (at 20,997
units),”
source: SMMT
www.smmt.co.uk
CALL FOR PAPERS
Metromeet launches
the call for papers for
2009
Metromeet, the 5th edition of
the International Conference
on Industrial Dimensional
Metrology, will take place on
26 and 27 March 2009 at the
Euskalduna Conference Centre
in Bilbao, Spain. Metromeet
has launched a call for papers
to professionals and industry
experts to share their experi-
ences and knowledge.
In the next Metromeet edition,
organized by Innovalia
Association, new solutions for
metrological industry, robotics
for metrology, optical measur-
ing systems, calibration sys-
tems for the measurement of
metal and the new hybrid sys-
tem, amongst others, will be
shown.
The deadline for submitting
papers ends on September
18th.
www.metromeet.org
QMT September 08
40 years ago
Wenzel’s
future began

Today our future is very bright

Celebrate 40 years of Wenzel Precision
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p8,10,12,13 R-R dean whiteside.qxp 29/08/2008 17:15 Page 8

DIMENSIONAL METROLOGY

Blisks & integrated measurement

A complex new product development, Blisks, for the huge JSF programme,
presents an unprecedented challenge for Rolls-Royce on how to integrate
CMM measurement technologies into new manufacturing processes.
By Brendan Coyne.

T
he Joint Strike Fighter, JSF, next generation ed programme requirement of 3,500 aircraft, the
tactical strike aircraft is a stealth, multi-role US government funded budget will be in the
aircraft. Based on a single, common design region of $298bn spread over 30 to 40 years.
with three variants, including a Short Take Off & Aerospace manufacturer Rolls-Royce will con-
Vertical Landing (STOVL) option, the end users
will be the US Marine Corp, Navy and Airforce
together with partner nations forces, such as the In the space of 11 years up to 2017, we
UK, and Canada. In 2001, the US Department of
Defense selected the Lockheed Martin X-35 con-
will go from producing a Blisk every three
cept plane, which has now become the F-35 months to one Blisk every eight hours.
Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. With an estimat-

tribute to the programme by manufacturing sever-

al key components, including highly complex
Blisks.
For conventional take off, there are two engine
derivatives available. The F-135 engine is a pure-
ly Pratt & Whitney engine in which Rolls-Royce
have no stake. The F-136 engine is a joint collab-
oration between General Electric and Rolls-
Royce, with Rolls-Royce responsible for the man-
ufacture and supply of several key modules, one
F-35 Lightning II
of which is the full fan system at the front end of

8 www.qmtmag.com QMT September 08

 Small Tool Instruments and Data Management

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p8,10,12,13 R-R dean whiteside.qxp 29/08/2008 17:16 Page 10

DIMENSIONAL METROLOGY

establish a Blisk pre-production facility, dedicated

F-35 engine test
the power plant. The fan system consists of three
large diameter Blisks, which will initially be man-
ufactured in existing Rolls-Royce plants in the UK.
For those customers who wish to have STOVL
capability, the Rolls-Royce Liftsystem is the only
option. The Liftsystem comprises of four key com-
ponents, one of which is the shaft driven liftfan.
The liftfan contains a further two large diameter
Blisks. The Liftsystem can produce a thrust of in
excess of 40,000lbs. Compare this to the Harrier,
which in combat mode in conventional flight only
produces about 30,000 lbs of thrust.
What does this mean in terms of a Blisk New
Product Introduction (NPI) programme within the
company? The first thing Rolls-Royce did was to
to manufacturing a range of new Blisks.
Introducing many new manufacturing technolo-
gies, many of which had never before been
applied on Blisks, the purpose of the pre-produc-
tion facility is to finalise the manufacturing devel-
opment and to seal the method of manufacture on
each of the Blisk components and, then, to gradual-
ly increase the facility’s output to its full capacity.
Dean Whiteside is responsible for measurement
processes in Rolls-Royce’s UK Blisk manufactur-
ing plants. Currently, Dean is probably the lead
protagonist within the organisation for the need to
develop 5 axis scanning technology within the
measurement process for more complex geome-
try, such as aerofoils and free form shapes.
One of the first challenges he faced was the
establishment of the measurement cells at
Hucknall, a Blisk pre-production facility, which
had received a capital investment of approaching
£1.3m in measurement systems alone. “At the
start of the programme, we had to demonstrate
our capability, in a small demonstration area, to
produce one Blisk every three months. Now,
we’ve migrated to pre-production and are
required to demonstrate that we can produce at a
rate of one Blisk per week. When we migrate
from pre- production and go to full factory pro-
duction, (in a facility yet to be built) the rate has to
increase to one Blisk per 8-hour shift at peak vol-

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p8,10,12,13 R-R dean whiteside.qxp 29/08/2008 17:16 Page 12
DIMENSIONAL METROLOGY
ume. So in the space of 11 years up to 2017, we
will go from producing a Blisk every three months
to one Blisk every eight hours. Clearly, we have a
major challenge ahead of us in ramping up to
these numbers.”
This NPI programme is unprecedented within
Rolls-Royce. Explains Dean Whiteside, “We are
introducing up to six new products, whilst simul-
taneously introducing new manufacturing
processes to produce these parts. We have very
demanding customers in the Liftsystem and F-136
projects who are understandably pushing manu-
facturing to make sure they meet their critical
milestones.”
Measurement challenge
Blisk manufacture involves extremely complex
processes. The majority of these processes are
novel and, as a result, there has been a significant
demand on the measurement processes to support
and establish the capability of these processes.
Measurement plays a critical role in this plant, not
only in product conformance at the end of the line
but also to assist in manufacturing development.
“Right from the outset, it was clear to me that
measurement, within a concurrent engineering
environment, would play a key role in ensuring
the successful delivery of JSF Blisks. To meet these
tight schedules we had to utilise the capabilities of
off-line programming of coordinate measuring
machines (CMMs).
For off-line programming, we required function-
12 www.qmtmag.com
ality which would allow us to produce a very
large number of CMM part programs over a very
short period of time for the six variants of Blisk.”
Adding to the challenge was the absence of a
physical part to program around on the CMM. “To
meet the tight customer milestones, we had to
minimise the time the parts spent on the CMMs.
We couldn’t wait for the parts to arrive at the
CMM and then begin writing the CMM program.
This would add a significant lead-time onto the
manufacture of the first off Blisks, which was com-
pletely unacceptable.
When the actual part arrives at the CMM, I
allowed a day per CMM program to test and prove
out the off-line written part program on the actual
part. For this to work, we required the off-line pro-
gramming software to be capable of producing
and simulating 90-95% of the required functional-
ity with minimal time required for subsequent
editing. However, we soon found that in reality
the level of capability required fell some way
short. For various reasons, the off-line program-
ming systems were only capable of delivering 40-
50% of the required functionality. (These com-
ments are not aimed at saying a particular CMM
software does not deliver what we require. We’ve
come to the conclusion within Rolls-Royce that
there is no one single offline solution that provides
all our requirements in terms of CMM program-
ming capability).”
The primary reason for this is that the Blisk
component is one of the most complex parts that
Rolls-Royce manufactures featuring a combina-
tion of prismatic and freeform geometry. The
more complex functionality required to measure
Blisks was not supported by the off-line systems.
Also, several items of ancillary equipment that are
key to the measurement process, such as rotary
tables, were not integrated, at that point, within
the virtual CMM environment. A true measure-
ment process couldn’t be fully simulated prior to
the part actually arriving at the CMM. This meant
the measurement team still had to write a large
proportion of the CMM programs on the physical
part when it arrived at the CMM.
Product Life Cycle Management
Adding to the challenge, the measurement
process has to operate within the context of a
Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) rollout
being piloted by JSF Blisk manufacturing within
Rolls-Royce. PLM works if all the data relation-
ships are truly integrated. For example, in the
Blisk programme, Design Engineering, based in
Bristol are the authority for geometry of the prod-
uct. They interface directly with the component
owners, who themselves are the individuals
responsible for the product within the manufactur-
ing environment. The component owners can
interface directly, (exchange geometry in terms of
master models, stage models etc.) with the various
machining process owners via UGS TeamCentre
QMT September 08
p8,10,12,13 R-R dean whiteside.qxp 29/08/2008 17:16 Page 13
DIMENSIONAL METROLOGY
within the manufacturing environment. The
process owners are the individuals responsible for
the various manufacturing processes used to man-
ufacture Blisks. The ability to interface between
Design Engineering, Component Owners and
Process Owners provides full geometry associativ-
ity. If there are any design changes driven by
Design Engineering an automatic cascade of these
changes and the relevant associativity is applied
to the manufacturing processes via the
TeamCentre environment.
QMT September 08 www.qmtmag.com
PLM does support concurrent engineering. But
where does measurement fit in? “It doesn’t cur-
rently,” says Dean Whiteside. “ (As far as we are
aware), there is no PLM solution that truly inte-
grates the measurement process within the PLM
environment as it does with CAM. The measure-
ment process was isolated from the
PLM/TeamCentre environment. It was and still is a
stand alone process with no direct interfacing
with the PLM system. This can cause major prob-
lems, particularly for the measurement process if
geometry changes are not communicated to the
whole integrated project team. Rolls-Royce uses
UniGraphics Siemens PLM and we are in the very
early stages of starting to understand how to
migrate the measurement process into UGS PLM.
But progress is slow and there is still a very long
way to go!
Today, measurement is an integral element of
our manufacturing systems. We need to ensure
that latest measurement capabilities are built into
future PLM developments. Equally, we need to
recognise that since original implementation,
technologies have advanced. Alternative forms of
sensor probing devices need to be investigated
such as on-machine, and 5-axis CMM scanning,
that potentially offer a more cost effective and
integrated solution. These developments clearly
need to be captured in the PLM environment.”G
E-mail: dean.whiteside@rolls-royce.com
13
p14,16,17 METRIS JANICKI.qxp 29/08/2008 13:20 Page 14
LASER RADAR MEASUREMENT
Laser radar in its sights
Janicki Industries utilizes laser radar measurement technology to develop
innovative composite tooling for large-scale lightweight prototype aircraft parts
J
anicki Industries, based in Sedro-Woolley,
Washington, USA, produces high-precision
advanced composite tools and excels at
designing and fabricating large complex compos-
ite tooling. The company’s (pole) models, test
equipment and full-size metallic and composite
Metris Laser Radar
14 www.qmtmag.com
structures are typically used as prototypes for
aerodynamic property testing, radar testing or for
any other customer requirement. Today, tooling
expertise developed at Janicki serves the majority
of international aircraft OEMs as well as manufac-
turers of boats, motor homes, buses and mono-
rails. The company has a growing involvement in
tooling development for composite wind turbine
blades, and occasionally participates in special
projects, such as prototyping speedy racing yachts
that compete in the renowned America’s Cup.
When developing new tooling concepts for
large prototype structures, Janicki faces short turn-
around times and high-precision requirements. As
a result, the company’s metrology specialists are
fully occupied with systematic quality verification
of structural assemblies being developed. “To
meet the growing demand for tighter timing dead-
lines in developing large aircraft fuselage sections,
our metrology team opted for three Metris Laser
Radar systems to validate OEMs’ geometric
requirements,” John Janicki, vice president of
Janicki Industries, stated. “Deciding factors were
that the laser radars operate without spherically-
mounted retro-reflectors (SMRs) or remote
devices, and reliably deal with composite surfaces
and sharp scanning angles. In automatic mode,
QMT September 08
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p14,16,17 METRIS JANICKI.qxp 29/08/2008 13:20 Page 16
LASER RADAR MEASUREMENT
we only need a single operator who defines and
supervises scanning jobs. ”
During operation, the Metris Laser Radar directs
an infrared laser beam and processes the reflected
light. Janicki purchased two Metris MV260 sys-
tems that cover a 60 meter radius, and one Metris
MV224 with a 24 meter reach. On the basis of
accurate (fibre) optics technology and beam angle
specification, the laser radar is able to accurately
determine the 3D coordinates of the surface point
being inspected. The technical concept of the
laser radar implies that measurement accuracy
depends on the length of the laser beam: 0.016
mm at 1 m distance; 0.1 mm at 10 m and 0.24
mm at 24 m.
Capturing only a very small fraction of the
reflected laser beam is sufficient to make a valid
measurement, thanks to the system’s innovative
frequency modulation laser technology. As a
result, the Metris Laser Radar, unlike laser track-
ers, can operate in any lighting conditions and on
any surface with a reflectivity of one percent or
more. Using Metris’ high-quality optical flat mir-
Janicki Industries, rors, the laser radar can additionally access sur-
Sedro-Woolley, faces that are otherwise unreachable. “Non-con-
Washington, UISA tact in combination with large scale is the most
important asset of the laser radar solution,” said
16 www.qmtmag.com
Michael Batchelor, metrology manager at Janicki
Industries. “Although Metris Laser Radar is high-
tech equipment, its use is quite straightforward.
The laser radar unit is able to measure any surface
point you can see within the measurement enve-
lope of the system. The rugged industrial laser
radar proved itself in our harsh composite milling
environment as well as at remote outdoor loca-
tions.”
Giant fuselage section scanned
Nearly 6 meter in diameter and about 12 meters
in length is the size of an all-composite fuselage
section that has been developed for a new
groundbreaking composite superliner aircraft.
Janicki’s metrology engineers used Metris Laser
Radars to accurately measure the detailed geome-
try of this immense fuselage section as well as an
individual 60 degree section subassembly. As the
Metris Laser Radar is able to gather data over
extremely large areas in a contiguous coordinate
system, the system can be positioned successively
at multiple positions without requiring complicat-
ed reassembly of geometry point data clouds. This
is achieved by scanning fixed tooling balls that
allow the laser radar to determine its own new
position relative to the fuselage section.
Janicki engineers positioned the laser radar at
10 unique positions to cover all interior and exte-
rior surfaces of the entire fuselage section. For the
subsection assembly, 5 positions were sufficient.
After gathering geometry data in uniform scans,
they exported the digital model to third-party soft-
ware for further numerical and graphical geome-
try assessment. In this case, they responded to
OEM-defined requirements by delivering a point
file along with a geometry verification report
including point deviation data and information
regarding critical features.
The laser radar is a single operator measurement
solution. Visible from behind the mobile worksta-
tion of the laser radar, the operator can point a
clear large-dot laser to any desired point on the
structure. This red dot clearly marks the approxi-
mate location of the invisible measuring beam of
the laser radar. Based on imported fuselage CAD
data, a Janicki metrology engineer specifies the
scanning area by driving the red dot around the
perimeter of the fuselage section. After defining
the point density, the system scans the area in
automatic mode. After acquiring the 3D coordi-
nates of one point, the laser radar beam automat-
ically redirects to the next point. The total time to
complete a point pattern scan is in the order of
minutes. The laser radar also supports manual
point measurements, which can be recorded on
command by steering the beam to the required
surface location.
Following this scanning approach, Janicki
metrology engineers are able to accurately meas-
ure the large-scale fuselage surface, without
requiring photogrammetry dots, SMRs, probes or
QMT September 08
p14,16,17 METRIS JANICKI.qxp 29/08/2008 13:20 Page 17

LASER RADAR MEASUREMENT

other remote devices. Compared to laser tracker

equipment, where one person operates the track-
er and the other one holds the device, the Metris
Laser Radar system can be operated by a single
person. This eliminates a second operator, who
would otherwise need to physically access the
many measurement locations on the concave sur-
faces of the fuselage structure. “Overall, when con-
sidering non-contact laser scanning in automatic
mode, we succeeded in increasing geometry verifi-
cation productivity by a factor of 5,” stated Michael
Batchelor. “At the same time, the accuracy of the
laser radar meets or exceeds our customers’ preci-
sion requirements. Besides high accuracy, the laser
radar guarantees high measurement repeatability,
which allows us to confidently perform direct point-
to-point measurements.”
Large-scale accuracy is a real challenge, espe-
cially since Janicki becomes increasingly involved
in tooling projects for very large composite parts.
Over the years, the company’s growing internal
metrology group gained top metrology expertise
and has innovate measurement equipment in
house, including the three laser radar systems
from Metris. The combination of specialized
metrology expertise and market leading equip-
ment speed up geometry verification to help meet
tighter tooling project deadlines, and offers great
opportunity to explore new business through
metrology outsourcing projects.
Originally, Janicki focused on developing CNC
milling machines that convert CAD files into
plugs, patterns, molds and prototypes parts for
large items. As an innovation company that sys-
tematically searches for new emerging technolo-
gies, Janicki recognizes the potential of utilizing
Metris Laser Radar as part of large gantry mount-
ed drilling machines. In this case, the laser radar
would provide independent adaptive positioning
control of the drilling head, which in itself would
drastically reduce the cost of the positioning over-
head of these massive machines. The enabling
metrology technology of the Metris Laser Radar
would enable Janicki to design and build cost
effective automated milling equipment to accom-
modate even larger composite parts to produce.G
www.metris.com

QMT September 08 www.qmtmag.com 17

p18,20 NIST SHATTUCK.qxp 29/08/2008 12:49 Page 18

NIST

NIST "M Cubed" molecular
measuring machine
Focus on NIST
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) plays a
significant role in underpinning US economic and technological
development. By Thomas Shattuck

T
he National Institute of Standard and
Technology, NIST, is a non-regulatory
agency under the United States Department
of Commerce that aims to improve the standards
of measurement to provide economic stability
and technological development. NIST received
approximately 755.9 million dollars this past year
to fund its various projects and is currently seek-
ing a 7.4 percent increase for the year 2009,
though only a 1.4 percent increase has been
approved by the US Congress. With the budget
significant returns have been made. For every
dollar spent on metrology, the Institute calculates
a return of three dollars and thirty cents through-
out industry as a whole.
Within NIST, the Dimensional Metrology
Program (DMP) aims to improve American com-
petitiveness by providing metrological standards
and tools for industries with a significant U.S.
presence. DMP achieves their goals in many
ways, most notably through coordinate-measuring
machines (CMM) - particularly transportable sys-
For every dollar spent on metrology,
the Institute calculates a return of three
dollars and thirty cents throughout
industry as a whole.
tems such as laser interferometers and laser track-
ers.
The large scale metrology industry is rapidly
moving to optical measurement systems. Unlike
large fixed placement CMMs, these new systems
can be easily transported to different measure-

18 www.qmtmag.com QMT September 08

Zeiss_QMT_May_08:Calypso and Tomography ads 12/5/08 09:36 Page 1

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Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 1ST
Phone: 01788 821770 Fax: 01788 821755
Email: metrology-sales@zeiss.co.uk
We make it visible
Website: www.zeiss.co.uk/metrology
p18,20 NIST SHATTUCK.qxp 29/08/2008 12:49 Page 20
NIST
NIST CMM LAB ment sites, have significantly lower capital equip-
ment costs, and allow factory floor space to be
rapidly reconfigured.
New optical technologies that provide absolute
distance measurement (ADM) capability eliminate
(photos courtesy HDR the need to transport retroreflectors from the sys-
Architecture, Inc./Steve Hall tem to the workpiece and the associated problems
Copyright Hedrich Blessing) of beam breakage. For that reason, measurement
technology using ADMs has exploded in recent
years and numerous firms are developing new
products and measurement services. The United
States claims to lead the world in this technology,
particularly in the development of ADM laser
trackers.
The DMP is supporting this crucial technology
through development of a high accuracy 60 meter
test range that can calibrate ADM ranging sys-
tems. Direct assessment of the errors in these
(often highly proprietary) ADM systems helps
manufacturers of this technology to improve the
accuracy of their equipment and gives users con-
fidence in the measurements. Using NIST’s exist-
ing tape calibration facility, augmented with a
newly developed high accuracy long range inter-
ferometer system, represents a unique US nation-
al resource. Current test range calibration uncer-
tainties are U(k = 2) = 2 µm + 3 × 10-7 L for coop-
erative targets (specially made to be ADM friend-
ly) and U(k = 2) = 10 µm + 1 × 10-6 L for nonco-
operative targets .
Along with improving metrological tools, the
DMP is also interested in entrenching US techni-
cal standards in new fields. They have succeeded
in several key areas including measurement
uncertainty, traceability and standards for
Cartesian CMMs. Furthermore, the DMP hopes to
develop standards for laser scanning sensors
increasingly used with various types of CMMs.
This will allow for the accurate measurement of
20 www.qmtmag.com
objects in the <50 nanometre range.
Examples of improvements in ultra precsion
measurement include the creation of what is
referred to as the "M Cubed", or the molecular
measuring machine. It is currently located under-
ground in a clean room at NIST's metrology wing
to prevent environmental disturbances. Its pri-
mary use is ultra precise two-dimensional meas-
urements and is able to draw lines on silicon as
small as 10 nanometres wide and 4 nanometres
high.
In the Precision Engineering Division (PED),
under the supervision of Doctor Michael Postek,
several advances in metrological tools have been
made. PED is split into multiple groups focusing
on different aspects, all serving NIST's mission
objectives.
Like other divisions, the PED serves as both a
research organization and as a calibration service.
The division has made great strides on the smaller
scales including the creation of a 150 x 150 mil-
limetre reference artifact with less than 30
nanometre measurement uncertainty and has
completed experiments for next generation of sin-
gle crystal critical dimension reference material.
This allows for the accurate comparison of size
and provides a point of reference for measure-
ments on a nanoscale.
Other recent PED accomplishments include
blind tip estimation for critical dimension atomic
force microscopes. Blind estimation is particular-
ly useful because the detailed shape of the tip
characterizer need not be known. Until very
recently, blind reconstruction could only be
applied to conventional non-reentrant tips. The
surface of such a conventional tip can be repre-
sented by a single-valued function. Blind recon-
struction has now been extended to objects with
multi-valued heights by using a dexel-representa-
tion for such objects.
As for the future of metrology and the growth of
manufacturing in the U.S. and internationally, Dr.
Postek believes that NIST will play a central role.
" NIST’s specific role as a neutral third party with
technical excellence provides NIST a unique role
for national and international standards. Well
written standards have positive externalities to
industry. These externalities include the avoid-
ance of costs for individual (i.e. idiosyncratic) test-
ing, optimizing capital purchases (by allowing
meaningful comparisons between different prod-
ucts) and the lowering of barriers to new technol-
ogy adoption through increased confidence and
technical information.” Dr Postek says that early
adoption allows economies of scale to take place,
letting mass production create affordable, reliable
tools sooner. Also, with the ability to compare
similar products, optimal decisions can be made,
promoting intelligent investments of capital and
sustained growth. G
www.nist.gov
E-mail: thomas.w.shattuck@Vanderbilt.Edu
QMT September 08
p21.22 wenzel.qxp 29/08/2008 12:54 Page 21

COMPANY PROFILE

Wenzel - the first 40 years

XO87 40th
Anniversary Edition
bridge type coordi-
nate measuring
machine from
Wenzel UK

40 Years of Wenzel Precision are being celebrated this year. Strategic

acquisitions look set to play a major role in the company’s
drive for dynamic growth. By Brendan Coyne

I
t’s 40 years since 1968 Werner Wenzel estab-
lished Wenzel Präzision in Wiestal, Germany,
Since then, the company has developed into a
major force in the world of coordinate measuring
machines with over 5,500 CMMs manufactured
and sold worldwide. Now headed up by Werner
Wenzel’s son and daughter as joint managing
directors, Frank Wenzel and Dr. Heike Wenzel-
Dafler, the company is rapidly moving to
become even more of a major player with a series
of strategic acquisitions and investments, from the
USA to Singapore India and China, together with
on-going technical innovation. During these forty
years, the key characteristic of the family-owned
company has always been the same - one of fam-
ily values, particularly with respect to care of its
employees. This is something both Heike and
Frank Wenzel are determined to preserve as the
company grows. This dynamic growth is taking
place in a world where there are probably too
many CMM manufacturers. Market consolida-
tion will inevitably take place over the coming
decade. Heike and Frank Wenzel are adamant
their strategy will ensure that Wenzel will be
among the top four of five CMM manufacturers in
the world, alongside Mitutoyo, Zeiss and
Hexagon Metrology.
Typical of Wenzel’s strategy of purchasing key
technology is the recent acquisition of
Knotenpunkt GmbH, Balingen, world leading
manufacturer of reverse engineering software,
technology and CNC controllers.
"By the strategic acquisition of this reverse engi-
neering technology provider Knotenpunkt,
Wenzel extends it's leading position as a provider
of design systems for the recording and processing
of surfaces," says Frank Wenzel. The product

QMT September 08 www.qmtmag.com 21

p21.22 wenzel.qxp 29/08/2008 12:54 Page 22
COMPANY PROFILE
range of Knotenpunkt covers the whole area of
digitization and processing of point clouds and
the complex field of reverse engineering. Its soft-
ware includes PointMaster for reverse engineer-
ing and measurement. Integrating PointMaster
into Wenzel’s DesCAD design software provides
all the functions - from digitization of a model to
milling - with just one tool. Supporting this area is
Shapetracer, which records surfaces and contours
of physical parts.
On the software development side, Wenzel has
announced Metrosoft QUARTIS, the first measur-
ing software based on the innovative Microsoft
Office Fluent user interface. The new interface is
very clearly arranged, flexible and goal-oriented.
The result is a highly innovative operation con-
cept, which enables all users easy and fast access.
Deliveries of QUARTIS will start in January 2009,
say Wenzel.
Yet another strategic technology acquisition is
computer tomography company, Volumetrik
GmbH. Announced in July, this acquisition takes
Wenzel into a fast developing x-ray CT technolo-
gy with strong growth potential. Using computer
tomography machines it's possible to make con-
tactless 3D-measurements of inner and outer
structures in a range of materials and in many
diverse applications.
"By integrating our many years of experience
and competence in the field of computer tomog-
22 www.qmtmag.com
raphy into the WENZEL Group we have the best
opportunity to compete in the market for contact-
less volume measurement with our innovative
technology", says Dr. Martin Simon, managing
director of Volumetrik.
UK celebration CMM
To celebrate Wenzel’s 40 years, Wenzel UK has
announced the XO87 40th Anniversary Edition
bridge type coordinate measuring machine.
Coming in at a remarkably competitive price of
£34,040 +VAT, the package includes a full CNC
system, all granite axes design with a measuring
stroke of X-800, Z-700 & Y-1000mm. Volumetric
uncertainty is 2.5+L/300µm. The package
includes a Renishaw PH10/TP200 Probe System,
Metrosoft measurement software, new Fujitsu PC
with Flat screen & printer plus delivery Installation
& 12 months warranty together with full training
for 4 people. Lastly, Wenzel UK are throwing in a
free Renishaw SCR200 Toolchanger.
Andy Woodward, managing director of Wenzel
UK comments, “This special edition of the XO
CMM will enable our UK customers to take
advantage of a medium sized CMM at a very spe-
cial anniversary price, coupled with what many
customers in this market segment require, imme-
diate delivery.” G
www.wenzel-cmm.co.uk
QMT September 08
p23,24 CMM products.qxp 29/08/2008
Revolutionary prototype
tooling method
To quickly and cost-efficiently
bring new products to the
market, the automotive and
other industries require rapid
ways of building stable and
accurate prototype tooling. A
novel approach from Metronor
and Tetrafix sets new stan-
dards in terms of tool align-
ment speed and accuracy,
combined with mechanical sta-
bility, while using only a few
standard components to create
a wide variety of geometries.
The required tool geometry
can be built in minutes using a
patented concept with struc-
tures made up of modular car-
bon fibre tubes and adjustable
joints. The Tetrafix structure
permits free movement of the
detail adapter in space, mak-
ing the positioning process
quick and efficient, and the
structure is simply locked in
place using a hex key once the
correct position is achieved.
Thereafter, the LED cluster is
removed and the tooling detail
is clamped in its place. Once
locked, the entire structure is
extremely stable and fully able
to withstand the shop floor.
To align tooling details like
clamping devices, net blocks
QMT September 08
13:52 Page 23
CMMs
PRODUCTS
and indexing pins to within 0.1
mm accuracy, a special tetra-
hedron cluster with a number
of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
are clamped onto the tool
detail adapter. These LEDs are
monitored by a Metronor
DUO portable coordinate
measurement system, provid-
ing continuous feedback on
position until the detail is in
the required position.
www.metronor.com
Tube measurement
solution
FARO, provider of portable 3D
measurement devices and
TeZet, the Swiss-based tube
measurement software special-
ist, have entered into a new
European technology and
marketing agreement for tube
measurement. Under the
agreement, TeZet’s tube spe-
cialised software solution
TeZetCAD, will be integrated
into portable devices for 3D
measurement - the FARO
ScanArm and FaroArm.
The innovative element of
the agreement is the ability to
measure freeform bent tubes
with the FARO Laser ScanArm
so that tube benders can actu-
ally bend tubes by extracting
them graphically from CAD
www.qmtmag.com 23
p23,24 CMM products.qxp 29/08/2008
drawings.TeZet offers a soft-
ware module for FARO
ScanArms that allows automat-
ic calculation of tube data dur-
ing the scanning procedure.
The user no longer needs to
use the complex and lengthy
method of converting millions
of points in order to extract the
tube coordinate and bending
data necessary for masterpiece
inspection and comparison
within the production proce-
dure.
www.faro.com
Measurement versatility
Latest addition to the Tesa
vision system range is the
Visio 500. Employing a mov-
ing bridge mounted on air-
bearings, the Tesa Visio 500 is
a high speed, high accuracy
multi sensor system
Measuring table (X,Y) is 400
x 500mm with a Z axis up to
300mm.
Visio 500 can be equipped
with a CCD camera, a
TesaStar probe head or a
touch-trigger probe coupled
with a PC video camera.
Able to meet challenging
measurement features on a
component, the Teas Visio 500
Universal version can be fitted
with any optional components,
such as black and white CCD
camera, red or white light or
TTL laser scanning sensors.
Different systems for clamp-
ing measured components
can be mounted on each
model, including a fourth axis
rotary device for measuring
cylindrical parts. Measurement
software is PC-DMIS.
www.tesabs.ch
24
13:52 Page 24
CMMs
The Zenith of CMM
technology?
Aberlink claim the industry’s
best performance to cost ratio
for its new Zenith Too range of
large capacity CMMs. The new
series of CMM ] consists of 10
machines with XYZ capacities
ranging from 1000x1000x600
to 1000x3000x800mm.
The Zenith Too range is an
all aluminium construction with
advanced drive design and
raised guide-ways .This
ensures extremely low inertia
characteristics for high speed
operation. In addition, its
measuring structure is com-
pletely independent of the
machine’s granite surface
table. The Zenith Too’s low
thermal mass and robust char-
acteristics enable accurate
measurement of large compo-
nents both on the shopfloor
and in a QC controlled envi-
ronment.
www.aberlink.co.uk
www.qmtmag.com
Front cover story
Metris LC60D laser
scanner revolution-
izes digital inspection
The Metris LC60D next-gen-
eration digital 3D line scan-
ner more than triples today’s
common scan rates. LC60D
strengthens and accelerates
the digital inspection process
by making the digitizing
process faster and more
straightforward.
A major leap forward com-
pared to its LC50 predeces-
sor, the LC60D line scanner
delivers a significant
increase in productivity,
which is achieved by speed-
ing up the image acquisition
frame rate from 25 to 75
Hertz. In combination with
15% wider laser stripe and
17% higher point resolution,
the scan speed of the LC60D
reaches 75,000 non-interpo-
lated points per second
The massive amount of
measurement points acquired
at 15 micron accuracy radi-
cally increases the surface
area the scanner is able to
capture and process. As a
result, LC60D operators can
complete scanning jobs up to
3 times faster. This allows
manufacturers to drastically
compress the inspection cycle
time for freeform parts, or
boost the number of features
that can be scanned in the
same time frame.
The digitizing capabilities
of the LC60D scanner are
equally beneficial for quality
control and reverse engineer-
ing applications.
To effectively scan surfaces
with varying colour or reflec-
tivity, Metris has introduced
third-generation Enhanced
Sensor Performance (ESP3).
ESP3 functionality not just
provides automatic real-time
adjustment of sensor settings
between successive laser
stripes, but dynamically
adapts laser source intensity
and camera sensitivity for
each individual point of the
laser stripe. This is achieved
through rolling shutter imag-
ing technology that ensures
maximum data coverage on
all surface materials and
shapes, irrespective of sur-
face finishing and lighting
conditions. In case of very
shiny surfaces, a new reflec-
tion filter removes fictive scat-
tered points resulting in clean
scan data. ESP3 even allows
glossy convex surfaces to be
captured in a single move-
ment.
ESP3 offers customized
laser intensity for each indi-
vidual laser stripe point. With
this capability, LC60D
ensures maximum data cov-
erage for sheet metal, tur-
bine blade, plastic and
machined metal part, wheel
rim and many other applica-
tions in all lighting condi-
tions.
www.metris.com
QMT September 08
p25,26 (27) Surface & form mahr.qxp
Form and surface meas-
urement systems con-
firm honing’s stock
removal credentials
The introduction in the 1970s
of superabrasives such as
cubic boron nitride (CBN)
transformed honing from what
Gren Lewis, managing director
of Sunnen Products, describes
as a cleaning-up process to a
stock removal process capable
of removing metal faster and
more accurately than grinding.
It is also acknowledged to be
a cost-effective alternative to
other processes such as hard
turning, reaming and roller
burnishing.
“Today it is possible to hone
virtually any material, apart
from lead and wood, with the
aerospace industry, for exam-
ple, looking for better than
half-a-micron accuracy,” he
says. In fact, the latest genera-
tion CNC honing systems can
produce hole size accuracies
of 0.25 micron, with minimal
variation and no operator
intervention.
In responding to customers’
demands for ever-tighter
dimensional accuracies, Gren
Lewis is adamant that “it is
essential to be able to meas-
ure what it is you are seeking
to achieve”. This is why the
gauge room adjacent to the
machining area in Sunnen’s
1200 sq. m. premises in
Hemel Hempstead,
Hertfordshire, is equipped with
a Mahr MarForm MMQ44
QMT September 08
29/08/2008 13:32 Page 25
SURFACE & FORM
PRODUCTS
For metrology only a
ruler is simpler
to use...
Formtester and a Mahr
MarSurf S2 surface measuring
system.
The MarForm MMQ44’s
high-precision X, C and Z
measuring axes make it possi-
ble to perform any form meas-
uring function; monitoring
deviations in geometry or posi-
tion for parameters such as
roundness, cylindricity,
straightness and parallelism.
Various modules can be used
...but nothing is more
to configure the system to an powerful than a NEXIV
end-user’s exact requirements,
whether in semi-automatic
measuring mode with, for iNEXIV VMA-2520
example, a manual centring
and tilting table, or in fully- Metrology – the science of traceable measurement.
automatic measuring mode. In the production environment, the need for speed
The MMQ44 used by Sunnen and convenience often conflicts with requirement for
is fitted with a manual T2W accuracey, repeatability and cost – until now.
inductive probe, with the With the launch of the new iNEXIV VMA-2520, you
probe arm capable of swivel- can gain the convenience of a ruler with the accuracy
ling though 180° and a variety and precision that comes from autofocus-based video
of clamping possibilities allow- measurement. Just pick, load, measure and respond.
ing access to difficult-to-reach • Compact and simple to use
surfaces, In addition, easily • Combines a 250 x 200mm stage
exchangeable probe arms
• Large working distance
accept a wide range of styli for
• Ideal for rapid QC checks and demanding R&D work
wide measuring versatility.
• Laser autofocus option for faster measurement speeds
The MarSurf S2, which
incorporates a dedicated • Touch-probe compatible for greater versatility
processor, uses the tactile sty- Ask for a demo now, and run the rule over how the
lus method of roughness and new bench top iNEXIV VMA-2520 measures up to
waviness measurement that your QC challenges.
allows a two-dimensional pro-
file to be calculated and docu-
mented to international stan-
dards. It is a semi-portable
device for roughness and
waviness measurement and
evaluation in which the meas-
uring conditions are quickly set
and saved as a measuring
program. Pressing two keys
www.nikoninstruments.eu/inexiv
www.qmtmag.com 25
p25,26 (27) Surface & form mahr.qxp
plus START on the keyboard
equates to ‘measurement fin-
ished, documented and
saved’, and an integrated
high-resolution thermal printer
provides Sunnen with an
immediate log of results, pro-
files, curves and lists, as well
as date/time and
workpiece/company texts.
“Sunnen carries out exten-
sive honing trials in its
Technical Centre prior to any
machine purchase because
our customers do like to see
that components can be
honed to their specification.
The best way to check the
roundness and concentricity of
any honed component is on a
computer-based form tester
and the same applies to
checking surface finish, so this
very accurate inspection equip-
ment is essential because, for
our customers, seeing really is
believing.”
www.mahr.com
Advanced 3D and 4D
surface texture analysis
Olympus and Digital Surf have
announced an agreement
whereby Olympus will supply
users of its LEXT OLS3100
confocal laser scanning micro-
scope (cLSM) with 3D surface
texture and micro-geometry
analysis software based upon
Digital Surf’s Mountains tech-
nology
A Mountains analysis docu-
ment is built frame by frame in
an intuitive desktop publishing
environment with a multi-lan-
guage user interface. Real-
time 3D imaging and intelli-
gent pre-processing to max-
imise image quality make it
easy to locate and visualise
See it. Measure it.
Vision Engineering’s pioneering range of patented optical and video non-contact measuring sytems provide microscope-
resolution views of the component features you want to measure.
Low contrast? Black-on-black? White-on-white?
No problem... Your measurements will be accurate.
Systems range from simple 2-axis 'shop floor' optical and/or video measuring
microscopes to 3-axis Video Edge Detection measuring platforms.
50 years of Excellence in Ergonomic Microscopy
QMT September 08
29/08/2008 13:33
MICRO & NANOMETROLOGY
surface features and anom-
alies at any zoom level or
angle.
Surface roughness analysis
is carried out in accordance
with advanced filtering tech-
niques as defined in the ISO
16610 standard, including the
new robust filters used by the
automotive industry. A full set
of 3D surface parameters are
generated in accordance with
the new ISO 25178 standard,
the first international standard
on 3D surface texture, which
provides a solid foundation for
industry’s transition from 2D to
3D surface analysis.
Dimensional checking
includes step heights between
two different zones of interest
on the surface, for example on
MEMS and mechanical com-
ponents used in the electronics
and other industries.
Moreover, a sub-surface layer
can be extracted from a sur-
face for independent analysis,
e.g. the flatness of an extract-
ed layer can be calculated with
a single click. Numerous other
analytical studies include:
functional parameters used by
the automotive industry, grains
and particle analysis for appli-
cations in metallurgy and nan-
otechnology, as well as
advanced statistical options.
In addition to the analysis of
www.qmtmag.com
Page 26
3D surfaces and 2D profiles
that are extracted from them,
Mountains provides new func-
tions for analysing the evolu-
tion of 3D surfaces with
respect to time or other 4th
physical dimension parameters
such as temperature, pressure
or magnetic field. In addition,
simulated flights over 3D sur-
faces changing in time can be
output to video for animated
presentations.
E-mail: microscopy@olympus-
europa.com
www.microscopy.olympus.eu
Improved Helium Ion
microscope sets new
standards for imaging
resolution & brightness
Carl Zeiss SMT, a leading
global provider of electron-
and ion-beam imaging and
analysis equipment, has intro-
duced a new, improved
Helium Ion Microscope called
the ORION PLUS. The original
ORION instrument, introduced
a year ago, demonstrated that
Helium ion microscopy has a
uniquely powerful set of fea-
tures that allow scientists to
see things never before visible.
The ORION PLUS incorporates
several design enhancements
that deliver improved imaging:
The tip geometry has been
modified to increase the accel-
erating voltage of the helium
ions, resulting in improved res-
olution;
A new “Clear View” sample
cleaning system combines
plasma cleaning, heating ele-
ments and an in-situ vapour
cleaning technique to remove
hydrocarbons from the sample
and the environment prevent-
ing re-deposition in the area
being scanned, which results
in increased surface detail;
An enhanced signal collec-
tion technique called “Signal
Boost” increases electron col-
lection at short working dis-
www.visioneng.com
+44 (0) 1483 248300
26
p25,26 (27) Surface & form mahr.qxp
tances for improved signal to
noise; and
An operating mode called
“Quiet Mode Imaging” is an
approach based on the use of
a cryomechanical pump for
cooling the source – instead of
liquid nitrogen – where users
can virtually eliminate vibra-
tion for noise-free images. This
approach also provides a
colder ion source, which yields
an increase in brightness.
Dirk Stenkamp, a member
of the Board of Carl Zeiss
SMT, said, “We are proud of
the magnitude of improvement
we have been able to achieve
in only a year of development
since the introduction of the
first commercially practical
Helium ion beam microscope.
We will continue to push the
envelope of advanced
microscopy, delivering solu-
tions that enable scientists to
see and create at the nanome-
tre scale.”
www.smt.zeiss.com
OPTICAL MEASUREMENT AND INSPECTION
Measurement of steep flanks and complex geometries
True color information registered to 3D data
Traceable results even on highly sculptured surfaces
Usable on highly reflective and
inhomogeneous surfaces
Highest resolution across measurement
areas of several mm
Comprehensive roughness
measurement capabilities, conforming
to the latest ISO standards
Usable in the lab and as
Inline measurement sensor
+ + R a d i i a n d a n g l e m e a s u r e m e n t + + M e a s u r e m e n t o f p o l i s h e d e d g e s + + Va r i a n c e a n a l y s i s + +
QMT September 08
29/08/2008 13:33 Page 27
MICRO & NANOMETROLOGY
Increased range of
variable pressure FESEM
Hitachi High-Technologies’
new SU6600 variable pressure
field emission SEM further
increases its range of high
performance electron micro-
scopes. Key to the perform-
ance of the SU6600 is the
combination of the advanced
new electron gun and novel
vacuum control system.
The newly developed
www.qmtmag.com
Schottky field emission electron
gun can deliver in excess of
200 nA probe current to give
outstanding analytical results
with excellent stability and sen-
sitivity. The analytical chamber
allows the simultaneous
accommodation of EDX, WDX
and EBSD (electron backscatter
diffraction) systems with opti-
mum geometry for compre-
hensive materials characteriza-
tion.
The SU6600 also features
an Automated Differential
Aperture (ADAPT) system,
which automatically inserts a
differential pumping aperture
for variable pressure operation
– maintaining maximum flexi-
bility in high vacuum mode
and ensuring there is no man-
ual intervention required when
switching to low vacuum
mode. ADAPT operates with a
simple mouse click and the
system is designed to ensure
that there is no field of view
restriction even when the aper-
ture is in place – to aide low
magnification navigation and
imaging.
Imaging and measurement
capabilities include Hitachi’s
high-sensitivity, TV-rate 5-seg-
ment BSE detector, environ-
mental secondary electron
detector (ESED) and an auto-
mated 3-D measurement sys-
tem. The 3-D measurement
software enables fast 3-D visu-
alization of the specimen
along with industry standard
height, area and surface
roughness measurement.
www.hitachi-hitec-uk.com
Alicona UK
Alicona UK Ltd.
Lime Tree House
15 Lime Tree Walk, Sevenoaks
Kent TN13 1YH
UK
phone: +44(0)1732 746670
fax: +44(0)1732 465500
e-mail: sales.uk@alicona.com
27
p28,29 q.mgt. proquis.qxp 29/08/2008 13:36 Page 28
QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Global approach to QMS
World leading industrial fasteners company, Anixter Fasteners, has standard-
ised its global quality management system on a single platform solution.
A
nixter Fasteners, the world’s leading sup-
plier of industrial fasteners and C-class
components to a wide range of indus-
tries, has implemented a tailored enterprise-
wide business management system as a unified,
single platform solution for quality manage-
ment. Operating over 60 sites worldwide and
part of the $6 billion Anixter Inc organisation,
quality management is a keystone to Anixter
Fasteners’ global business success.
28 www.qmtmag.com
Although an essential element for Anixter
Fasteners, quality management has not always
been an easy process to manage. This is not unex-
pected for an organisation of this scale that has
60+ sites, many of which include acquired busi-
nesses and all with their own particular quality
management systems (QMS) and operating plat-
forms. Such was the situation facing Adrian Lloyd
when he took on the role of Global Quality
Systems Manager.
Finding a solution to address the integration of
all the different QMSs – and the mind-boggling
number of records and documents they contained
– into a single, scalable and flexible system would
be a mammoth task. To attain his goal Adrian
Lloyd would require the cooperation of all the
various offices and personnel. In addition, he
would need the full support of a meticulous IS
department that would quarantine and test any
new solution he proposed to run on the organisa-
tion’s extensive network.
“My role was, and remains, to bring all our
quality management into one place so that we
could develop a single company-wide repository
and resource for quality information. We looked
at several different systems applicable to our size
of business and we settled on Proquis Enterprise
QMT September 08
p28,29 q.mgt. proquis.qxp 29/08/2008 13:36 Page 29
QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
with the allCLEAR process mapping tool as the
solution to producing a cohesive QMS,” says
Adrian Lloyd.
Phased implementation
Anixter Fasteners purchased Proquis Enterprise
with allCLEAR process mapping in January 2007.
Proquis supplied a range of tailored modules that
would underpin the fastener company’s quality
management approach
and its ISO 9001
(Quality), ISO 14001
(Environmental) and ISO
18001 (Occupational
Health & Safety) accredi-
tations. In total the com-
pany bought 8 modules:
· Audit Management
· Customer Care
· Document Control
· Equipment Control
· Health & Safety
· Issues & Actions
· Personnel Management
· Supplier Control
The software was tested
for 6 months by the
Anixter IS department, with further testing by the
quality management department prior to final
configuration. The system went live in January
2008.
“We are now using and benefiting from the
majority of the Proquis modules, including Audit
Management, Document Control, Customer Care,
Supplier Control, Issues & Actions – which links
across all the modules and, to some extent,
Personnel Management,” says Adrian Lloyd.
Audit dividend
The Audit module is fully implemented for inter-
nal auditing. This is paying dividends in allowing
the quality management team to take control of
site audits. “We can schedule audits from a cen-
tral point and easily assign auditors to sites. Via
Proquis, we are able to see exactly what is going
on for each audit. Moreover, we have been able
to standardise on the audit procedure across the
Group and establish common questionnaires and
common scoring methods, completely replacing
idiosyncratic practices prior to Proquis QMS,”
says Adrian Lloyd.
“The system has helped us to establish and
implement escalation rules for closing out issues.
If these are not followed and the issues remedied,
then managers are alerted of the outstanding
work. In all this has given us access to a highly vis-
ible workflow that we never had before,” he adds.
Documentation controlled
A business on the scale of Anixter Fasteners gen-
erates massive amounts of documentation but
with the Proquis Document Control module
QMT September 08 www.qmtmag.com
mountains of spreadsheets and manual records
have been levelled.
“We now have an automated approvals process
with all documents held in a single repository.
This saves a lot of time in finding the right docu-
ment, making changes and gaining approval for
those changes. We simply don’t need to keep
manual records anymore as we can view all
superseded documents within the system,” says
Adrian Lloyd. “This is a fantastic development for
us as it means that instead of trying to manage and
use 9 different paper based quality systems, the
team members are able to use their time to devel-
op standardised schemes that we can roll out
across the entire company.”
Supplier management
With the massive range of products that Anixter
Fasteners provides, supplier management is para-
mount to quality management. “We had 6 differ-
ent systems populated with supplier data. This
took repetition to the extreme. With Proquis
Supplier Control, we have reined this in and have
taken a lot of time to clean up the data. Now we
have 4997 clean records on Proquis. The flexibil-
ity of the system has allowed us to configure this
module to support our supply chain development
programme and we are currently populating the
system with further supplier data such as creden-
tials, capabilities, and certification. It will give us
a complete view of everyone we work with
throughout the world,” he says.
A major boost to efficiency and productivity has
been delivered by the allCLEAR process mapping
tool. This enables process maps to be formed using
text alone, using punctuation to determine the box
type. This is far quicker and more efficient than
drawing the boxes as required by other softwares.
allCLEAR also provides the facility to multi-layer
processes and link one to another, allowing man-
agement systems to be truly integrated.
Proquis has also allowed the quality team to
assign ownership to particular documents, which
has provided additional time savings by streamlin-
ing the way documents can be worked on and
updated.
“Proquis provides us with the ability to engage
other departments by allowing them to update
documentation themselves. They no longer need
to send everything back to Quality Management
for amending. The system allows full traceability
and so all changes to documentation can be
tracked to the originator of each and every
amendment,” says Adrian Lloyd.
Six months of use has provided Anixter
Fasteners with benefits that will maintain its
drive on quality management and strengthened
its competitive edge. Once the remaining mod-
ules have been implemented the system will be
tempered further and will deliver more opera-
tional benefits. G
www.proquis.com
29
p30,32 Six Sigma MAS Burcas.qxp 29/08/2008 13:48 Page 30
SIX SIGMA & LEAN
Photo (from left)
David Scrimshire
(TEC), Mike
Burrows (Burcas)
mark Wingfield
Lift off for Burcas
(A&M EDM), Paul
Randle (Tamworth
Heat Treatment)
and Bob reeve
(MAS -WM)
A supply chain development programme based on a six sigma and Lean
approach leads to a £1m aerospace contract for Burcas
T
he power of a world class supply chain is
helping a West Bromwich manufacturer
secure over £1m of new orders from the
aerospace industry. Burcas, which celebrated its
65th birthday last year, has embarked on the
Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands’
(MAS-WM) ‘Lift Off’ programme to improve per-
formance and introduce new processes across
eleven of its closest suppliers, including A&M
EDM, Bohler, Carbide Dies Birmingham and
Tamworth Heat Treatment.
The closer working relationships have had an
immediate effect on efficiency and communica-
tion, not to mention playing a crucial role in con-
tracts for Hentons, Hampson Aerospace and
Sumitomo Precision Products – the latter focusing
on the production of landing gear parts for the
Airbus A330.
Black Country based Burcas has a turnover of
over £6m and employs around 80 people. Its
work with the aerospace industry has increased
since the loss of key automotive contracts in the
region over the past few years, although the com-
pany has not lost touch with its roots and still pro-
duces a number of traditional products, including
precision tools and paper-cutting knives.
On the shift to a niche industry, Mike Burrows,
30 www.qmtmag.com
managing director, is delighted at the progress to
date: “The nature of our business means that we
are continually looking to target new markets and
this was one of the key considerations behind our
logic for taking part in the Supply Chain
Development Programme.”
He continued: “Aerospace suited our ability to
produce precision parts and we quickly identified
a need to embrace six sigma and lean enterprise
practices, in order for us to gain accreditations
and be able to conform to the strict quality stan-
dards expected.
“We got talking to Bob Reeve at MAS-WM and
he introduced us to the ‘Lift-Off’ project, which
would provide funding towards the creation of a
working group of suppliers that could learn from
each other and an external consultant to become
more competitive. It was an easy decision to
make.”
Industry leaders, TEC Transnational, were
brought in to deliver the programme and identify
key goals for each individual company and how
this impacted on Burcas’ performance.
A series of AS9100 approved six sigma training
courses were delivered, whilst a tailored pro-
gramme of activities improved supplier perform-
ance and encouraged a ‘change agent’ culture
QMT September 08
p31_minitab.qxp 29/08/2008 15:36 Page 1

Minitab Drives
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MinitabUK-ENG indd 1 6/18/08 1:43:12 PM

p30,32 Six Sigma MAS Burcas.qxp 29/08/2008 13:48 Page 32

SIX SIGMA & LEAN

tionships both from a customer and supplier per-

whereby representatives from each firm would
absorb best practice and pass it onto their col-
leagues.
Mike, who is the third generation of Burrows to
own the business, continued: “At the same time
this was going on, we made a firm commitment to
SBAC’s SC21 initiative, a specified set of criteria
for supply chains in the aerospace industry.
The standard, designed to ensure competitive-
ness, requires conformance in three areas; accred-
itation, development and performance and rela-
spective. In short, the ‘Lift Off’ programme gave us
the impetus we needed to make this happen.”
Burcas' investment in the latest manufacturing
technology and its supply base has seen the com-
pany boost its presence in the aerospace sector,
with this particular industry making up 25% of its
growing £6m turnover.
Following the deal to supply landing gear com-
ponents for use in the new Airbus, the firm has
also been recognised as an approved supplier to
Messier Dowty, a move that could significantly
increase its presence in the global marketplace.
Bob Reeve, MAS-WM Adviser, added his support:
“The project has provided Burcas with a host of
operational performance benefits, with possibly
the most striking being a 100% success rate in
quality, cost, delivery and research to the end cus-
tomer.”
Importantly, the supply chain development pro-
gramme has also allowed other suppliers to re-
focus their activities towards the buoyant aero-
space arena. For example A&M EDM and Carbide
Dies have all received industry training and this
has led to accreditation to the AS9100 quality
standard. G
MAS contacts:
Jessica Hope - MAS National Network –
E-mail: jessica.hope@gyrointernational.com
Tel: 0161 876 5522

Measuring your Products and Processes

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Data Driven Continuous Improvement

32 www.qmtmag.com QMT September 08

p33 spc.qxp 29/08/2008 14:22 Page 33

SPC & DATA COLLECTION

PRODUCTS

Flexible connectivity tool plant floor to the Data Center. addition to the Q-DAS File
www.zontec Exchange format, GageMetrics
Zontec Inc. has released also exports data in other for-
Synergy 2000(TM) Multi-func- mats: -
tion Toolbox, a data integra-
Measurement software - ASI DataMyte GAM Files
tion program that interfaces its includes analog gaug- used by ASI DataMyte Importer
statistical process control (SPC) ing & QDAS certification to insert data into the database
software with a variety of - Text files used for ASI
multi-vendor hardware plat- A new version of GageMetrics,
DataMyte DataMetrics soft-
forms and manufacturing sys- the precision measurement
ware and Microsoft Excel to
tems. software from ASI DataMyte,
perform in-depth analysis
Using the Toolbox, Synergy includes the ability to commu-
Before the availability of
2000 users can achieve com- nicate with analog gauging,
GageMetrics, many precision
patibility with previously isolat- including LVDT probes.
measurement applications
ed systems, enabling them to GageMetrics Version 2.0
from other SPC programs, required a steep learning
easily perform SPC charting, now works seamlessly with the
business applications and curve and many trial and error
analysis, traceability and ASI DataMyte Model 916
databases sessions before they could be
reporting on any data regard- Precision Gaging Multiplexer
* Creating multiple Synergy implemented on the shop
less of its origin. It is a com- to interface with standard
2000 Data Table instances at floor. GageMetrics uses clear
plete plug-and-play module LVDT analog probes and high-
one time and simple colour-coded
that requires no additional frequency miniature IET
* Bridging OPC servers and graphics that minimize training
programming or software cus- probes. The new version also
the Synergy 2000 OPC client time, startup time and the
tomization of the Toolbox supports Marposs DigiCrown
* AIAG (Automotive Industry potential for operator error.
code. digital probes in addition to
Action Group) Quality These features also minimize
The Multi-function Toolbox is Solartron Orbit probes.
Measurement Data (QMD) differences from one user to
designed for: With the release of Version
support for standard gauging the next, ensuring reproducible
* Real-time data collection 2.0, GageMetrics Software is
devices results across different opera-
from CMMs, PLCs and other also Q-DAS certified. The Q-
The Synergy 2000 Multi- tors and shifts. Data from both
process control devices DAS ASCII data transfer for-
function Toolbox was devel- types of applications is stored
* Integrating data from ERP, mat alow comparison of data
oped within the Microsoft in the same networkable data-
LIMS, SCADA and other man- from a variety of measurement
.NET(TM) programming envi- base for analysis and correla-
ufacturing systems systems without complications,
ronment for applications that tion studies.
* Migrating legacy data allowing for consistent data
connect seamlessly from the www.asidatamyte.com
management and analysis. In

QMT September 08 www.qmtmag.com 33

p34,35 food ndt featrue.qxp 29/08/2008 15:28 Page 34
X-RAY INSPECTION
Food inspection gets better
New inspection X-ray technology developed by European researchers is
helping to ensure that the only thing in people’s dinners is the food itself.
F
inding a snail in a salad, a fish bone in a sup-
posedly boneless fillet or opening a soup
packet to reveal mouldy contents is an
unpleasant – and potentially unsafe – experience.
Small foreign bodies and packaging defects are
frequently not detected by food producers, but a
new X-ray inspection technology developed by
European researchers is ensuring that the only
thing in people’s dinners is the food itself.
For consumers, a more effective method of
inspecting food products before they reach super-
market shelves means better-preserved and clean-
er food on their dinner tables – and a reduction in
the risk of food poisoning.
An improved inspection system also means pro-
ducers can offer better quality produce, reduce
the risk of spoilage, and gain a competitive edge
over rivals.
Already in use commercially, the technology
developed by the Modulinspex project uses low-
energy X-rays to produce highly detailed images
of food products and packaged goods. The images
34 www.qmtmag.com
are then scanned via inspection software that can
automatically detect any irregularities accurately
and quickly.
The system can be used to check seals on food
wrappers, locate packaging defects and find for-
eign particles of any size in any kind of food, from
maggots in apples to grains of sand in bread.
Even in an era of high food standards and ster-
ilised packaged produce, those problematic for-
eign bodies and packaging flaws are more com-
mon than most people realise, says Jørgen
Rheinlænder, the managing director of Denmark-
based InnospeXion, which helped develop the
technology. Rheinlænder was the project coordi-
nator for Modulinspex.
“Go down to your supermarket and pick up a
package of dried pasta,” he says. “About one in ten
will have pieces of pasta trapped in the seal that can
let air and moisture in and spoil the product.”
Rheinlænder notes, for example, that some bacteria
may spread on poorly sealed produce and go unno-
ticed by consumers until they end up spending the
QMT September 08
p34,35 food ndt featrue.qxp 29/08/2008 15:28 Page 35

X-RAY INSPECTION

Participants in Modulineex
are:
Oy Ajat Ltd., Finland
Cavendish Instruments Ltd.,
UK
Zenon S.A. Robotics and
Informatics, Greece
Detectronic A/S, Denmark
Institute of Electronics and
Computer Science,
University of Latvia
next day on the toilet or at the hospital.
Lower energy, higher definition
Until now X-ray inspection technology used by
food processors was dominated by high-energy
intensity systems not unlike those used to scan
luggage at airports. These are able to detect a peb-
ble in a package of corn but lack the resolution to
pick out a grain of sand in a bag of flour.
The higher-resolution alternative, low-energy X-
rays, had not been used because it took too long
to scan the produce and would slow the rapid
pace of production in modern processing and
packaging plants.
The European researchers working in the EU-
funded Modulinspex project have brought both
greater speed and accuracy to the table.
By attaching a CMOS chip to the crystal that
detects the X-rays in a low-energy system they
have been able to build a detector capable of tak-
ing 300 images per second, enough to capture a
crisp image of products moving on a conveyor
belt at half-a-metre per second. The X-ray images
have a resolution of 0.1 millimetres – 16 times
better than existing high-power systems, making it
possible to detect objects as small and fine as a
herring bone.
The system is also modular, allowing hardware
and software components to be adapted to suit the
needs of
any producer in the food industry.
“Most X-ray luggage scanners at airports are vir-
tually identical because one type works any-
where,” Rheinlænder explains. “In the food indus-
try, however, everyone has different requirements
depending on the speed of the production line,
the type and size of products being scanned and
hygiene regulations.”
The consortium of companies involved in the
project has already sold three of their systems to
companies in Spain, the United Kingdom and
Denmark. The systems were bought after the proj-
ect partners held a demonstration at the
Scandinavian Food-PharmaTech exhibition last
November in Denmark. Curiously, none of the
three systems that were sold are being used in the
food sector, confirming, in Rheinlænder’s view, the
broader range of applications for the technology. In
the UK, for example, the system is being used by a
company to inspect filters delivered by an outside
supplier, while in Denmark it is being used to
check the quality of fur used to make coats.
“The market for this technology is truly enor-
mous,” he says. “In the food industry alone we
can expect growth rates in excess of 20%… and
we also see a market for using it in manufacturing,
to inspect seals on car components, for example,
or to check for counterfeit products.” G
Adapted from materials supplied by ICT Results
http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults

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QMT September 08 www.qmtmag.com 35

p36 MAT TEST -ZWICK.qxp 29/08/2008
Do toys pose a risk for
our children?
A toy is defined in law as a
product intended for children
under 14 to play with. Every
year thousands of new toys
enter the market and as par-
ents we don’t expect them to
harm our children, but how
can we be sure?
Since January 1, 1990, toys
can only be placed in the
European market if they bear
the CE Mark. Toy manufactur-
ers are therefore under a legal
obligation to ensure that their
products are thoroughly tested,
and they and their dealers
have special tests performed
by organisations such as LGA
in Nuremberg, Germany.
After successful results the LGA
can also award the GS
(geprüfte Sicherheit = certified
safety) mark.
Using a Zwick Z005 testing
machine equipped with a
500N load cell, LGA carries
out many mechanical tests
which enable everyday situa-
tions which might arise in the
playground or home to be
simulated in the laboratory
under controlled conditions.
One example is when a
child tugs at a stuffed dog’s
muzzle with its teeth. The
muzzle must remain fully
attached even when a tensile
load of 90N (9kg / 20lbs) is
applied using the Zwick
machine. With other toys it is
absolutely vital that no small
parts can become detached,
as swallowing them can be
36
14:25 Page 36
MATERIALS TESTING
PRODUCTS
fatal for children. Subjecting
parts of the toy to such pulling,
pushing, tearing, bending, and
cycling forces is child’s play
using latest Zwick’s testXpert®
II software because all the
important parameters of the
test machine such as
crosshead speed, travel dis-
tances, required force limits,
and loading profiles can be
setup and stored in the soft-
ware.
Accuracy and consistency
are so important and LGA
benefits from the wide range
of applications which are pos-
sible from a single load cell.
For example, the 500N (112
lb) load cell achieves ISO
7500 Class 1 down to a lower
limit of 1N (0.22 lbs). This
means that forces measured at
1N have an accuracy of
0.01N (0.0022 lbs). This
saves the time and cost of pur-
chasing and setting up sec-
ondary load cells.
In addition to mechanical
and physical tests on toys LGA
also performs chemical tests
and checks for flammability,
conformity with LFGB (food
safety legislation), electrical
safety, electromagnetic com-
patibility (EMC), radio frequen-
cy authorisation and hygiene.
The flexibility of the Zwick
machine means that it can be
equipped with various sensors,
tools and fixtures. Control and
evaluation of the tests is per-
formed automatically by the
testXpert II software. The
operator can quickly perform
widely differing tests due to the
www.qmtmag.com
intelligent wizards and context
sensitive system.
www.zwick.com
30 times faster set up
Latest developments of the
IMETRUM Video Gauge
enable it to achieve strain
measurement accuracy in line
with conventional strain
gauges and resolutions down
to 5 microstrain. These devel-
opments are available with
both the desktop system and
laptop based portable system.
Early adopters of the tech-
nology have found the system
30 times quicker to set up than
existing technology with the
added advantage that the sys-
tem is capable of producing
considerably more empirical
data. Independent benchmark
tests have shown the technolo-
gy to have an order of magni-
tude better resolution than
other DIC systems.
The Video Gauge is fre-
quently used to overcome
challenging measurement
problems such as high tem-
perature or high-speed materi-
al testing. For straightforward
tasks such as batch testing of
material properties it offers
significant time and cost sav-
ings over traditional methods.
www.imetrum.com
Entry level portable
hardness tester
CV Instruments of the Bowers
Metrology Group has a new
entry-level portable hardness
tester, the TH110. Ideal for
both workshop or in-the-field
operation, the cost effective
ABS unit features a robust anti-
shock casing, a sealed keypad
and a convenient integrated
thermal printer. Autonomy of
operation is further aided by
the tester’s long battery life –
16 hours between charges.
Exploiting the Leeb principle,
the highly accurate (+/- 0.5%
at 800 HL) hardness tester’s
features include: an easy to
read, large format digital dis-
play showing instantaneous
measured results with optional
statistical information, conver-
sions to common hardness
sales HV, HB, HRC, HRB, HRA,
HS plus tensile strength and
direct keys for the rapid setting
of the units test parameters.
www.bowers.co.uk
Rocky 2000 Rockwell
hardness tester’
MAPRA Technik Co. have been
appointed as official agents in
the U.K. and Eire for GNEHM
AG of Switzerland. The
GNEHM range includes the
latest GNEHM Rocky 2000
Rockwell Hardness Tester. This
Analogue tester is made of
sturdy steel construction and
provides simple and cost-effec-
tive Rockwell hardness meas-
urement according to DIN EN
ISO 6508, ASTM for the stan-
dard test procedures HRA,
HRB and HRC, etc. The tester
is suitable for single and serial
testing.
The Preliminary Test Force is
98.07 N (10 kp), and then Test
Force 588.4 – 980.7 – 1471
N (60 – 100 – 150 kp).
The Test Force choice is by
knurling tool wheel. It is sup-
plied with a range of Anvils,
Indentors and other acces-
sories, including works cali-
brated comparison plates
(HRC, HRB).
www.mapra.co.uk
QMT September 08
p37,38 inspex preview.qxp 29/08/2008 14:29 Page 37
INSPEX PREVIEW
Inspex 2008 focuses on quality
Inspex 2008 is the event for the UK’s quality manufacturing professionals to
check out the latest in test, measurement, and inspection technologies.
I
nspex 2008, the event for the quality control
and measurement industries, takes place with-
in the Interplas exhibition being held at the
NEC, Birmingham from September 30th to
October 2nd. Companies taking part in Inspex
2008 include Alcatel Vacuum Technology, 3D X-
ray, GE Inspection Technologies, Hanatek, Konica
Minolta, Mecmesin, MHH Engineering, OGP UK,
Olympus Industrial, Tinius Olsen and X-rite.
A special free seminar programme will provide
a focal point for Inspex. Organised by the
National Physical Laboratory, the Inspex seminars
will offer two daily sessions, the first providing an
introduction to a new measurement system for
Materials testing com-
pany, Tinius Olsen
will be introducing 12
new products at
Inspex 2008
QMT September 08 www.qmtmag.com
high-speed, high accuracy calibration and verifi-
cation of CMMs, CNC machine tools and other
leading-edge measurement applications. The sec-
ond will offer advice on how companies can
develop their business and uphold the highest
measurement quality standards.
As part of Interplas, the UK’s largest plastics and
rubber exhibition, Inspex visitors will be able to
take advantage of the extensive free Interplas sem-
inar programme. The Interplas seminar pro-
gramme will focus on three different themes over
the three days of the exhibition - Sustainability &
the Environment; Design & Innovation with
Polymers; and the Past, Present and Future of
Plastics. Notable topics covered include Energy
Management in Plastics Processing and How The
Carbon Trust Can Help Your Business. Full details
of the seminar programme can be found on the
Interplas website (www.interplas-expo.co.uk/pro-
gramme).
Visitors who pre-register for Interplas and Inspex
also have the opportunity to win one of three daily
prizes during the exhibition – a weekend for two
in Paris, a supercar driving experience or a 42”
HD ready plasma television. To enter, each visi-
tor needs to register online at www.interplas-
expo.co.uk and then visit the PMMDA stand to
37
p37,38 inspex preview.qxp
Right - OGP SmartScope
Flash 200 video
Mecmesin will show its new
MultiTest-d test system.
38
29/08/2008 14:30 Page 38
INSPEX PREVIEW
drop his or her business card into a box.
And as ever at such a major event, there will be
plenty of new developments on show. Materials
testing equipment experts Tinius Olsen,
(www.tiniusolsen.com) will be announcing the
addition of 12 new developments to their exten-
sive range of testing equipment, while Sikora,
(www.sikora.net) a worldwide specialist in meas-
uring and control equipment for the hose, tube,
wire and cable industries, will also be showing
several new products, including the LED 8025 XY.
The LED-based system is the first diameter-meas-
uring device, which also measures the eccentrici-
ty of transparent products with highest precision.
Mecmesin, (www.mecmesin.com) a leading force
& torque test solutions manufacturer, has
launched its new MultiTest-d test system.
www.qmtmag.com
Incorporating enhancements to its design and
functionality, the MultiTest-d works in conjunc-
tion with a digital force gauge and forms an ideal
entry-level motorised test system for professionals
who wish to evaluate quality control parameters
of their products in tension and compression.
On show from OGP (www.ogpuk.com) will be its
SmartScope Flash 200 video and multi sensor
bench top measuring system, which offers high
accuracy and ease of use.
The compact machine will display its versatile
capabilities by measuring a wide variety of injec-
tion moulded components. The company says its
SmartScope Flash 200 with TTL laser benefits from
a number of patented technological innovations
that not only deliver consistently high levels of
accuracy, but also offer user-friendly program-
ming and operator functions.
X-Rite Inc. (www.xrite.com) will be showing its
just-launched xDNA system with MA98 handheld
spectrophotometer that can save automotive man-
ufacturers and suppliers considerable time and
money in applying metallic flake and other spe-
cial effect paints.
The xDNA package solves an ongoing automo-
tive problem of how to accurately measure the
colour and appearance of coatings with ‘sparkle’
that confound optical instruments. Key to xDNA
are a new instrument called the MA98 that uses
twice the number of illumination angles and sen-
sors of previous instruments, and a software pack-
age called X-ColorQC that manipulates the data
with proprietary xDNA algorithms to generate
easy-to-understand graphs that show unique char-
acteristics of an effect paint. G
www.inspex.co.uk
QMT September 08
www.inspex.co.uk

Car parkin
Inspex is F g at
REE

The showcase for quality control in UK manufacturing

■ Source new suppliers who can help ■ Keep up-to-date and gain advice at
increase accuracy and efficiency the FREE NPL Seminars and Register now for your
levels in your business. Measurement Surgery. FREE entry badge:
■ View the latest products and ■ Additional free entry – Inspex is www.inspex.co.uk
services in the quality control market featured within Interplas and co-located
including materials testing machinery, with the PPMA Show.Your badge allows
remote visual inspection systems, you access into all. To exhibit call Graham Earl
software products and much more. on: +44 (0)20 8910 7890

Don’t miss Inspex, Interplas + PPMA Show = The UK’s largest manufacturing event this autumn!

Featured within: Co-located with: Supported by: Organised by:

08
Hall 4, Birmingham NEC, 30th Sept – 2nd Oct 2008
JUL08_IFC.qxp 27/06/2008 16:27 Page 1