Products:NOVEMBER Metrology
2019
Q&A:
Measure for
Measure
Metrology is an often-overlooked
part of industrial production,
but it facilitates both the
precision and safety associated
with modern manufacturing.
Advances in measurement
can not only drive effi ciencies, they
can also help underpin new advanced
manufacturing techniques, helping
incorporate automation into factory
lines. The Engineer caught up with three
leading experts in metrology to fi nd out
the latest developments in their fi elds
Meet the experts
Paul Maxted, Director of Industrial
Metrology Applications, Renishaw
Mark Youings, MD, Tinius Olsen
Martin Hawkins, UK Sales Director,
Bowers Group
What trends/customer requirements are
currently driving developments?
PM: We are seeing an increased
requirement for automation of both
processes and decision making in
the factory, where the availability
of actionable data near to the
point of manufacture is essential.
Measurements are being made at
every stage of the manufacturing
process chain to reduce or compensate
for sources of variation without the
delays associated with remote fi nal
verifi cation. Metrology assisted closed
loop manufacturing is now accepted as
a key enabler towards highly productive
automated manufacturing. Moving
metrology to the shopfl oor is improving
productivity, reducing costs and reducing
the reliance on skilled people to make
decisions and maintain process quality.
MY: We are seeing customers’
requirements become more wideranging
but also more application
specifi c. Where Tinius Olsen testing
machines were historically a destructive
testing tool, they are now being used as
fi ne tolerance (non-destructive) press
tool machines. This might involve
pressing a shaft into a digital motor or
pressing two fi ne tolerance ‘controlled’
The Engineer caught up with three
leading experts in metrology to fi nd
out the latest in the fi eld
TECH
DETA I LS
Bowers’ Sylvac
SCAN S145 optical
measuring
system
parts together. Other customers want a fully integrated system
of robot and test machine, to reduce overheads, increase
productivity to a 24-7 operation and get test results directly
integrated into their own processes for faster turnaround and
product release.
MH: Industry 4.0 can come in many forms, but Connected
Metrology is an area of real interest to our customers. In any
manufacturing business, connectivity of data and the ability
April 2020 / www.theengineer.co.uk 48
to validate components and record
that data, is very important. The Sylvac
Sylcom Software gives us the ability to
connect a range of Bowers and Sylvac
hand tools via Bluetooth, alongside a
Sylvac Optical inspection machine, and
collect all the measurement data in one
place. There are a number of benefi ts
that this brings, including traceability of
measured data and the ability to monitor
and control manufacturing processes.
Is there a key solution or technology that
you’re excited about?
MH:
Developing on my earlier theme,
I’m particularly excited to see this
expand to the next stage of product
development from Sylvac. This will
allow collected inspection data to
be accessed not just in the local
manufacturing plant, but by a wider
group of employees, sometimes on
the other side of the world, in real
time. This new cloud-based solution
will allow for remote monitoring of
inspection results, process control and
the automated machine tool correction
data capability. It will bring together all
machine based and hand instrumentbased
data alongside SPC process
information.
MY:
Solutions are very much customer
specifi c, and this is something that
Tinius Olsen prides itself in providing.
The UTM (Universal Testing Machine)
is by defi nition ‘universal’, but with
bespoke or conventional fi xtures and
fi ings, can quickly become a specialist
testing tool for a customer’s application.
The ST and SL series of testing machines
are designed with a new controller,
featuring a high sampling rate and
allowance of additional data inputs. By
adding technology ourselves or from
our partners, Tinius Olsen can quickly
adapt a conventional universal testing
machine into a bespoke machine for a
specifi c customer requirement.
PM: The development of the REVO 5-axis
scanning system for CMMs heralded
signifi cant time savings in measuring
critical surfaces on parts for industries
andrew wade reports
moving metrology to the shop
floor is improving productivity
Paul Maxted
/www.theengineer.co.uk