COVER STORY u The Sempre Group Bringing the power of Quality 4.0 to Ireland
Gaining insight into manufacturing processes with automated, digitalised quality processes from drawing to compliance report. Jason McGlynn, Commercial Manager at The Sempre Group, explores why Quality 4.0 can help Ireland’s manufacturers and how the company is supporting them.
Cobot-fed Micro-Vu Optical CMM I
reland’s manufacturing sector continues to boom, with 12 per cent of the country’s workforce operating in the industry according
to Ibec’s Manufacturing in Ireland 2022 report. As technologies driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution continue to advance, adaption will be crucial for local manufacturers wanting to stay ahead of the technological curve. However, manufacturers in the region are yet to embrace automation in its entirety and combine it with metrology to improve the different stages of their production process. Many companies are still storing their quality management data on paper or spreadsheets, making information harder to access and deploy when demonstrating compliance with industry standards like AS 9100 in aerospace.
INTRODUCING QUALITY 4.0 Although manufacturers have known about Industry 4.0 for a while now, complete digitisation is still a way off. In 2019, the Irish Government even published an Industry 4.0 Strategy for 2020-25, setting out its vision for an automated manufacturing sector in the hope of inspiring more
Jenoptik Opticline Shaft Measurement
manufacturers to embrace smart technologies. This digitisation gap is especially prominent when looking at quality, which is often treated as separate to manufacturing and production. Unless manufacturers can unite the two, any ambitions to digitise will be limited from the get-go. Quality 4.0 refers to the automation of wider quality processes, and it transcends the entire production process – harmonising every stage while improving accuracy and productivity. It begins at the preparation stage, which involves using automated solutions to automatically balloon and populate inspection reports such as First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs). From there, manufacturers can develop measurement routines and minimise manual inspections, enabling them to focus on process improvements. Next, operators can use augmented reality (AR) tools to guide themselves through the assembly process, following projected instructions that can help reduce errors. Once the part has been assembled, manufacturers can then bring all their data together in one electronic quality management system (QMS). By automating data collection in this way, they can benefit from having a single digital thread for a part’s entire manufacturing history.
THE LATEST IN METROLOGY In March 2022, The Sempre Group opened its new 180sqm facility in Balbriggan, Dublin, where it hosts a wide range of advanced measurement and metrology systems. For example, when starting the quality process, the High QA Inspection Manager automated QMS software allows users to scan entire drawings and extract the geometric dimensioning and tolerance (GD&T) data. Once the inspection plan and digital drawings
have been established, Sempre’s team can help manufacturers automate their measurement and
10 November 2022 Irish Manufacturing
High QA Inspection Manager
assembly processes. The systems on site include the Jenoptik Opticline range for optical shaft measurement, which can measure cylindrical parts in seconds, as well as the Micro-Vu multi-sensing coordinate measuring machine (CMM), and Sensofar 3D optical surface profiler range. The new Sempre facility offers a holistic
approach to measurement and quality and the team can support industries ranging from aerospace to automotive manufacturing. Other systems include the Gelsight handheld topography system, which visualises and assesses the 3D topography of different surfaces and reveals microscopic structures. As well as this, the InspecVision Planar can support with 2D automated scanning while the ARKITE facilitates automated assembly by using augmented reality and projecting instructions for the user. More recently, Sempre introduced the RX Solutions EasyTom CT scanner, which is available for both purchase at an affordable cost and for contract scanning services.
DEDICATED, EXPERT SUPPORT The new at Balbriggan provides a single source solution to metrology in Ireland and Northern Ireland, offering local support and a one-stop service for any measurement or inspection. Sempre has continued to build its team in
Ireland, recruiting application engineer Paul Cullen as well as a dedicated Irish technical support team. In addition to supplying new systems for customers, the team can carry out contract measurement services locally, cutting the number of delays that can be lost by shipping between the UK and Ireland. To find out more about Sempre’s metrology
services in Ireland, or to meet the team contact:
sales@thesempregroup.com
www.thesempregroup.com
www.irish-manufacturing.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
