Article From: 11/25/2008 Production Machining
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Hommel-Etamic’s Opticline non-contact CNC shaft gaging system measures form, dimensional and positional tolerances of shaft-type parts in submicron detail, instantly recording results.
The optical measuring machines, available in a range of capacities, are especially useful for medical, aerospace, automotive and other applications producing such complex parts as hip joints, bearings and turbine blades.
Opticline is equally capable on the shop floor, in the metrology lab, or working within a production system.
The fully flexible shaft gaging systems accommodate shaft type part sizes from 0.2-mm to 480-mm diameter, 1-mm to 2500-mm long with measuring accuracies to +/- 1 micron and provide an alternative to conventional shaft measuring techniques that is faster, more accurate and more complete.
Highly accurate telecentric camera measuring systems and specially adapted calibration processes permit measurements of even the most complicated workpiece geometry, allowing users to effectively measure cylindrical and eccentric shafts, such as crankshafts, camshafts, compressor and turbine shafts.
Contour, diameters, length, roundness, concentricity, cones, angles, flatness, parallelism, eccentricity, stroke, threads, and more, can be recorded during a single pass of the optical measuring head. Measurements are easily completed within a production cycle for 100-percent quality control. Manufacturing checks, automatic tool correction, dimensional measurement, initial sample measurement and machine setup are typical applications for this family of versatile gages.
Filters are used to ensure highly reliable measuring results and to eliminate sources of error, including dirt and swarf.
The family of gages is driven by Windows-based measuring software. A measuring program can be assembled from function macros, so repeated measuring tasks can be accomplished quickly. And the flexible design of the measurement modules, the consistent use of common standards, the measurement technology, and the use of standard operating systems make it possible to create the optimum solution for each application, the company says.
Once the workpiece has been scanned, a part profile is displayed on the large LCD, at which point the part may be analyzed, documentation can be output, data can be stored and graphed for later reference or transferred (networked).
