Trescal, an independent company that specializes in providing calibration services, recently made public their acquisition of an optical CMM manufactured by Bruker Alicona.

Trescal Benelux will have the opportunity to significantly expand their measurement services within the realm of 3D metrology after the Bruker Alicona CMM is installed at the Trescal facility in the Netherlands (Hengelo) in February 2022. This installation will take place at the Trescal facility in Hengelo.

"This device allows us to take contactless measurements with an unprecedented high level of accuracy of dimensions, roundness, free form, and surface finish from objects with complex shapes," explains Juul Gibcus (Trescal Hengelo).

A purely optical CMM machine is utilized for the purpose of measuring extremely close tolerances with a high degree of accuracy. Users are able to measure the dimension, position, shape, and roughness of components with a single sensor that would normally require multiple technologies. cmm services is accomplished by combining the benefits of two distinct measuring technologies: tactile coordinate measuring technology and optical surface measuring technology. The optical CMM provides high geometric accuracy optical 3D measurements, which allows for the measurement of small surface details on large components as well as the precise determination of the position of individual measurements in relation to one another. The range of surfaces that can be measured encompasses all conventional types of industrial materials and composites, including plastics, PCD, CFRP, ceramics, chrome, and silicon, amongst others. Utilization of air-bearing axes in conjunction with linear drives enables operation free of wear and tear as well as highly accurate and rapid measurement.

CMM precision is quoted at 0.8+L/600m accuracy, but the company has stated that this is a conservative estimate. Despite the company's statement, some installations achieve less than 400nm through the measuring volume. Components are manipulated along five axes, and the data that is provided is in true three-dimensional form.

When it is finished, it is taken back to the CMM so that it can be inspected. The data collected by the CMM is then imported into PC-DMIS, the flagship software of Hexagon Metrology. PC-DMIS features an extensive library of macros that are specifically designed for the die-making industry. Instead of relying on the witness measurement, which is taken at the electrode's base, the offline toolset for electrodes takes into account the true burning geometry of the electrode. These intricate measurements can be finished in a matter of minutes with a degree of precision that is superior to that which can be achieved using the conventional witness method of inspection. The process of programming is no longer a time-consuming and laborious one in which electrodes are measured on a sinking machine. Following the installation of the CMM, the same batch of electrodes can be inspected at a rate that is at least fifty percent faster than before, all while the EDM is working on other parts. In addition, cmm services the current method of toolmaking eliminates the need for manual intervention in the data entry process. According to the company, thanks to the improvement in quality, the tooling department now knows whether or not electrodes are good before sinking them into the steel.

Additionally, because of the accuracy of a CMM, every part that is removed from the cmm services is inspected with greater precision and does not require the presence of the operator. Even more time has been freed up for us as a result of the CMM integration—probably somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of the total. Because we had implemented our Brown Sharpe One CMM, we were able to provide all of the others with increased levels of efficiency. Craig Broetzmann, the leader of the CNC team at Strattec, claims that he is certain that if the cmm services had not been configured in its current state, it would have been impossible to achieve that accomplishment."In the past, a rush job would force us to drop everything and shift to that project," he says. "Nowadays, we have the ability to prioritize our work more effectively."The tasks that previously required anywhere from two to four days to complete are now typically completed in a single day. The group is able to make modifications to the instrument and then resample almost immediately without having to wait for a response from another department. The automated cmm services has presented the facility with additional opportunities to explore.