Test & measurement
THE CHANGING FACE OF
METROLOGY
Metrology has always been vital in precision manufacturing to ensure products meet both quality and design specifications. As industry demands have increased over the years, we have seen a transformation in measurement technology - advances in metrology and improvements to manufacturing capability typically go hand-in-hand. As the company celebrates its 50th anniversary, Paul Maxted, director of Industrial Metrology Applications at global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, explores the changing role of metrology in manufacturing over the last few decades and predicts how it is set to develop in the future.
Manufacturers are now able to use real-time process and measurement data to improve operations part-by-part, batch-by-batch, and drive long-term improvement, with a smart factory approach to analysing process data. Monitoring patterns in process data over time enables engineers to continuously improve and optimise. This could mean enhanced product performance, more robust process design or making products faster at lower cost. In Renishaw’s factories today, there are still occasions where it experiences minor, frustrating
stoppages, process alarms or events that impact productivity. However, as it gains more visibility of its processes, over time, Renishaw can adapt and continuously improve them. As the company begins to understand its longer-term manufacturing capability, it can make informed decisions to refine the frequency for measurements and controls.
LOOKING FORWARD
As manufacturing becomes more autonomous, we see a trend towards metrology being directly integrated into all automated CNC machining
systems. With this approach, manufacturers can leave machines running unmanned making good parts, safely, improving productivity, and freeing up engineers for more proactive value- added activities. Fully automated systems become critical as manufacturing looks to reshore operations. To enable manufacturers to become more globally cost competitive and ensure a resilient, local supply chain, it will be vital to manage these operations using automated metrology systems that collect real-time data.
There has been a huge shift in measurement technology in the last 50 years, taking metrology from an off-line inspection process into a fundamental pillar of high-precision, automated manufacturing. It has been a privilege to work alongside so many passionate engineers and manufacturing customers over the last few decades. They have helped to drive this change and transformed the performance and quality of products globally including cars, jet engines, mobile phones and anything precision moulded or machined. All these products are influenced by Renishaw technology at some point during their manufacture.
Renishaw Instrumentation Monthly January 2024
www.renishaw.com 21
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