IMTS 2016 Quality Assurance Pavilion to showcase new class of video measuring systems to help reduce cost of quality
August 22, 2016
Improvements in measuring systems will be featured in the Quality Assurance Pavilion at IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show taking place in Chicago, Illinois, USA, September 12-17, 2016. The Quality Assurance Pavilion, located in the East Building at McCormick Place, showcases metrology equipment and systems that keep manufacturing processes on track, as well as the equipment that will check the accuracy of manufacturing equipment.
“Advances in optics and metrology grade cameras have led to a new class of Large Field of View (LFOV) video measuring systems that can image as much as three or four square inches of a part and make dimensional measurements instantly,” stated R Stephen Flynn, President of Optical Gaging Products.
“IMTS 2016 showcases the latest advancements that take accuracy to a whole new level,” stated Peter R Eelman, Vice President – Exhibitions & Business Development, AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology, the parent organization of IMTS. “New systems at the Quality Assurance Pavilion show great strides in minimizing measurement uncertainty. Equipment and systems in the Quality Assurance Pavilion are great examples of the technical achievements we feature at IMTS.”
Recent improvements in software and analysis tools allow coordinate measurements to be compared directly to CAD models, allowing a tightly closed loop between CAD, CAM systems and dimensional measurement systems.
“Massive improvements in computers and electronics over the last five to ten years have raised the bar for all quality and metrology systems — particularly non-contact metrology,” added Flynn. “The benchmark performance [speed and accuracy] of a video measuring system has easily doubled in the past ten years, while the cost has remained about the same.”
In addition, recent improvements in software and analysis tools allow coordinate measurements to be compared directly to CAD models. Very complex Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) scenarios can be evaluated instantly and predictive models allow a tightly closed loop between CAD, CAM systems and dimensional measurement systems.
“These advancements help in three ways,” stated Flynn. “First, measurement data is available quickly enough to make real-time process adjustments. Also, dimensions can be measured near the production line that previously required highly skilled and experienced toolmakers to measure in a lab. Finally, data from multiple measuring machines or multiple locations/suppliers can be normalised and compared directly to CAD models.”
