High Accuracy CMM Strengthens Spain’s National Metrology Capabilities
The installation of a Mitutoyo Legex Takumi coordinate measuring machine at Spain’s national metrology institute is extending its high-accuracy measurement and traceability infrastructure. The Spanish Metrology Centre (Centro Español de Metrología, CEM) has become the first European institution to install a Mitutoyo Legex Takumi coordinate measuring machine. The system will be used to support high-precision dimensional measurements and national calibration services.
CEM is an autonomous public body attached to Spain’s Ministry of Industry and is responsible for maintaining national measurement standards and supporting the country’s calibration laboratory network. According to the institute, the new system will be used to ensure metrological traceability for sectors including aerospace, automotive manufacturing and medical devices.
The installation followed an evaluation based on objective technical criteria, including measurement performance, automation, data management and long-term reliability. CEM selected the Legex 574 Takumi for its specified maximum permissible error of MPE E0 = (0.23 + 0.7L/1000) µm and its suitability for high-accuracy calibration tasks.
Installation and commissioning involved Mitutoyo, its Spanish distributor Sariki, and CEM technical staff, and included environmental conditioning, precision levelling, calibration and operator training. Since commissioning, CEM reports that the system has met expectations in terms of precision, repeatability and stability.
Automation was cited as a key operational factor. “The automation of our processes is key, as it allows us to reduce the operator’s influence on the measurement, while also cutting the time required to perform it. This translates into a reduction in the time the customer’s measuring equipment is unavailable” said Aelio A. Arce Criado, Head of the Topographic and Geodetic Instruments Laboratory at CEM.
CEM states that the system supports unattended measurements, full data traceability and reduced measurement uncertainty, strengthening its participation in international comparisons under the CIPM-MRA and enhancing Spain’s national metrology infrastructure.
For more information: www.mitutoyo.eu
