EXHIBITIONS
QUALITY & INSPECTION
Microtec’s managing director, Graham Cranfield inspecting a larger part on the iNEXIV, in this case a steel mould cavity ring.
on the iNEXIV. A similar procedure allows reverse
engineering of legacy components for which no data exists, such as parts for classic cars. In this case, after the data has been collected, a DXF file is output that can be used directly in a machine tool’s CNC or in a CAD/CAM system to generate the cutter paths. Nikon Metrology’s part-to-CAD software provides the capability to compare the machined component with the DXF file to ensure that it is within tolerance.
Touch probing capability Some features on components, such as sloping faces and undercuts, do not lend themselves to optical measurement. In such cases, the iNEXIV VMA-4540 has the facility to accept a Renishaw TP20 or TP200 touch probe to capture the point data. The probe is offset from the optical axis but works in the same 450 x 400 x 200 mm coordinate space, with only slightly reduced operating range. A stylus changer is provided. Mr Cranfield continued, “We always use vision if we can, as in general it is quicker and more accurate. However, if parts are not the right shape or not scrupulously clean, touch probing is the better option. “On the other hand, some features would be difficult to inspect with a touch probe, such as the curved surface of a dome, as calculations to compensate for the stylus tip diameter at each measurement point across the
36 IMT June 2015
surface would be impractical. “Using the auto focus (AF) feature of the iNEXIV, we can accurately capture heights very quickly. There is also a laser AF option that we are thinking of retrofitting that is very good at highly repeatable Z-axis measurements on flat surfaces.” It is even possible to mix optical
and tactile measurements in the same cycle, which is another option that Microtec will be using. For example, the BepiColombo telescope parts require mainly 2D optical inspection of apertures, but there are arrays of 2 mm diameter tapped holes whose positions will need to be probed during the same program.
Close-up of the mould cavity ring. Inspection is possible by video measurement or tactile probe.
It is noteworthy that this job will
benefit from image stitching within the Nikon Metrology software, as the aluminium components are 550 mm in diameter and will need to be scanned in four quadrants under the 450 x 400 mm X / Y travels of the iNEXIV’s moving column. Additionally, stitching of multiple images at different Z-axis heights allows deep components to be rendered all-in-focus. The instrument’s versatility
is further enhanced by a variety of illumination options. It has episcopic, diascopic and eight- segment ring LEDs. Combining these enables accurate detection of low- contrast edges. Even when a workpiece is
misaligned, an intelligent search feature automatically locks on to it based on a target image recorded in a teaching file. Detection is assisted by the wide field of view, measuring 13.3 x 10 mm at 0.35x magnification, while zooming in to 3.5x in five steps delivers accurate measurements as well as high resolution images.
On behalf of: Nikon Metrology NV, Geldenaaksebaan 329, B3001 Leuven, Belgium Tel: +32 16 74 01 00 Contact: Renaat Van Cauter, Director Marketing Communications
renaat.vancauter@
nikon.com www.nikonmetrology.com
The iNEXIV VMA-4540’s PC screen shows an image of the area of the component under inspection, current point coordinates, a list of the features inspected, any that are out of tolerance, and more.
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