TEST & SAFETY SYSTEMS
in the future,” says Tom Mackrill, Dimensional Quality Manager at Lotus’ Norfolk factory. “We are aiming the product at the premium sector of the global market, so a very stable production process is required to ensure high build quality.”
RAPID AUTOMATED MEASURING LK Metrology’s automated, multi- sensor inspection cell is designed to deliver fully non-contact dimensional inspection at production-line speed to enable real-time quality control. At Lotus’ factory, the CMM is set one metre into the fl oor on a special foundation that allows a car for inspection carried on an automated guided vehicle (AGV) to access the area without the need for lifting equipment. Featuring a measuring volume of 6.3x1.6x2.5m, the machine is easily large enough to contain an entire
Tom Mackrill, Dimensional Quality Manager, Lotus Cars
Studio photograph of the Lotus Emira
car body, while advanced, triple- laser cross scanners are deployed on both arms to measure features automatically on both sides of the vehicle simultaneously. The LK HC-90 is reportedly the world’s most accurate range of horizontal- arm CMMs, able to measure to a volumetric accuracy of 10m + L/200 and with 6m repeatability. As a result, the machine combines the high performance of a bridge-type CMM with the fl exibility of the horizontal- arm confi guration widely used in car plants. “Production rate of this car model in 2022 is substantially higher than last year, when we were ending production of the Elise, Exige and Evora, and is increasing strongly,” explains Mackrill. “So, we need a QC
solution that not only supports high
precision but is also fast enough to generate large amounts of data quickly to match the production rate. “We reviewed other
inspection technologies
including those involving various robot-mounted measuring heads,” he continues. “However, we concluded
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