April 2020 Metrology News Magazine
Editors Message:
Following the shut-down of most of the world last month April will turn out to be a historical month with a large percentage of the global workforce either furloughed or working from home. With the metrology industry facing a conundrum on how to try and keep business continuing, while being unable to have normal relationships with customers and prospects, it is encouraging to see the ingenuity and investment many are making in creating on-line exhibitions, webinars, free customer training and educational programs. This may not be the best time for selling but it should be a great time to provide education and ‘sow’ future seeds. It has also be heartening to read the stories where metrology equipment, and metrologists, are assisting in many of the project efforts to get medical equipment rapidly to the front-line of the Coronavirus battle; we have featured many of these stories in Metrology News in April.
The current crisis has highlighted many of the inadequacies of the global manufacturing footprint followed by so many industries over past years. Localization appears to be the new ‘buzz’ word as both governments and corporations will reassess supply chains, and their risks, after the pandemic is over and industry and businesses gets back to work. Metrology did much to allow manufacturing globalization to occur whether it was the equipment and software that checked the quality of manufactured products in overseas plants, the standardization of quality processes and procedures – through accreditation to international quality standards – or the adherence to strict quality standards previously developed at domestic ‘digital twin’ manufacturing operations. Metrology will play an equally important role as manufacturing localization takes hold in the coming future.
As individual countries start announcing their respective plans to ease the lock-down let us all hope that economies can bounce back relatively quickly and we get used to the new normal – whatever that may be.
Not surprisingly April set another readership record for Metrology News page views as the daily source for up-to-date sector news. Over 80 articles were published in April – a new monthly high. This month our newsletter focus is customer application stories. The full list of published April articles can be reviewed by clicking here.
Let us all hope that economies bounce back relatively quickly from the current situation and we can get 2020 back on track.
Enjoy the read – stay safe!
Keith Mills – Publishing Editor
Automatic Desktop 3D Inspection Scanner Launched
SHINING 3D has launched a new Automatic Desktop 3D Inspection Scanner – AutoScan Inspec (Inspec). AutoScan Inspec is a fully automatic desktop 3D inspection scanner that innovatively integrates high-accuracy 3D scanning and 3D inspection and is designed for improving efficiency of scanning small and complex parts. Featuring an intuitive user … read more
Enhanced 3D Dimensional Analysis & Quality Control Software Released
InnovMetric has introduced PolyWorks MS 2020, the latest release of its 3D dimensional analysis and quality control solution. PolyWorks MS 2020 offers multipiece editing capabilities that accelerate the preparation of robust inspection projects and facilitate data analysis. This new major release also extends the universality of its digitizing hub by …read more
CMM Ensures Inspection Equipment Precision
The Italian company MG Marposs knows all about accuracy. Headquartered in the city of Brescia, it has been using ZEISS measuring machines for the past six years to guarantee the quality of the measuring equipment and master components sold to customers. Thanks to their extremely positive experiences with these coordinate … read more
NPL Makes e-Learning Metrology Training Courses Available Free
Operating remotely and working from home has become a new reality for many and employers, employees and students alike are all looking for ways to adapt. The UK’s National Measurement Institute (NPL), has always played a leading role in providing training in measurement science. As part of the NPL’s response to … read more
3D Scanning Data Drives Prestigious Aston Martin Project
UK design and engineering specialist CALLUM was established in 2019 with Ian Callum CBE FRSE among its founding members. A celebrated British car designer, he has worked for the likes of Ford, TWR, Aston , and Jaguar Cars. CALLUM is currently working on a limited edition run of 25 bespoke-built … read more
Measure Of Perfection : Bentley’s In-House Metrology Team Under The Microscope
Deep in the heart of the Bentley factory in Crewe, UK is a large, airy and air-conditioned workshop that visitors, even out of the current government lockdown, will never see. It’s packed with the kind of precision instruments you’d expect to find in a space agency facility or university science … read more
Steering Specialist Invests in 3D Scanning Arm
Steering system specialist, UK based Pailton Engineering, based, has added to its quality assurance (QA) equipment with the addition of an Absolute Arm 7-axis with RS5 laser scanner manufactured by Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. This articulated measuring arm offers tactile probing and surfacing scanning of steering parts, to generate a precise … read more
Precision 3D Laser & CT Scanning Bring “Big Data” Directly To The Top Floor From The Shop Floor
Industry 4.0 Through The “Eyes” Of Metrology Industry 4.0 – Big data – The Internet of Things (IoT) – We’ve all heard these phrases a hundred times in the last few years. What do they mean? How can they impact your business on a daily basis? Metrology company, Exact Metrology co-owners …read more
3D Scanning Prevents Production Downtime
In the past, measurement service provider Lometec had ‘merely’ conducted some workpiece first-sampling for one of its customers, a well-known medium-sized plastics processor. But when an urgently needed, brand-new tool suddenly failed, the metrologists moved out on a special mission: Delivering overnight service, they digitalized the mold tools using GOM … read more
Aerospace Industry Composites Quality Control
Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) is a provider of MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) services for aircraft and has 50 locations worldwide. LHT is wholly owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and comprises 32 technical maintenance companies and subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and America, along with more than 26,000 employees (as of 2019). Control … read more
Small CMMs Deliver Tactile and Optical Precision Inspection
Gamma Aerospace produces big parts: stringers and struts, doors and access panels, seat tracks, spars, and more, some longer than a pickup truck. In fact, if it’s used to construct a commercial airliner, helicopter, or military aircraft, chances are good that it came from Gamma. But the Mansfield, Texas, USA manufacturer … read more
Taking Measurement Technology To An Elite Level
The MILLTURN machines supplied by WFL are used around the world to produce complex parts to very high tolerances. These include compressor rotors, for which the company from Linz in Austria has now developed a highly productive method for automated complete machining. A key component of this solution is the … read more
Overcoming AM Metrology Bottlenecks
Author: Eric Felkel Product Manager Optical Profilers, Zygo Corporation Undoubtedly there are many benefits associated with the use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) as a production technology. Across industries, manufacturers exploit the fact that through the use of Additive Manufacturing they can not only build complex parts, in one piece, which were previously …read more
Measuring For Proof of Compliance vs Process Feedback
When Dr. Greg Hetland, International Institute of Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing, first started out as an inspector, he thought his job was principally to determine if a manufactured part conformed to the specification requirements defined on the engineering drawing. If the part conformed he would accept/release the parts to the … read more
