shaping the future of metrology - Brown & Sharpe

mfg 

The Brown & Sharpe Publication of Precision Manufacturing 

shaping the future of metrology

C o n t e n t s 

on the cover 

the art of mfg. 

mfg 

A Brown & Sharpe Publication of Precision Manufacturing 

shaping the future of metrology 

Combining elements of geometry with 

the decimal point and micron, Brown & 

Sharpe’s new logo has been designed to 

focus attention on the company’s roots 

in precision measurement technology. 

See stories on pages 9, 24 and 50 to 

learn how the new logo and a brand 

consolidation program mark the beginning 

of a new era for the company. 

The Brown & Sharpe Publication of Precision Manufacturing Winter 1998 Volume 5, Issue 1 

A P P L I C A T I O N S 

4 Thinking Big At Lockheed Martin 

8 Can Gage Makes Russian Debut 

10 Engel Optimizes Molding Machine Design With CMMs 

16 Unplugging Measurement Bottlenecks With PC-DMIS 

for WINDOWS 

20 Thickness Tolerances Go Under The Guillotine 

22 Beating Tight Delivery Schedules With A CMM 

26 Handling New Part Qualifications 

F E A T U R E S 

12 Turbine Engine Overhaul Gets A Boost From CMMs 

24 Redesigned Logo Opens New Era At Brown & Sharpe 

32 Move Designs Forward With Reverse Engineering 

38 Multifunction CMMs Accelerate Automotive Design 

D E P A R T M E N T S 

News 

14 Drafting A New Gaging Standard For Oil Pipe Threads 

Product Profile 

36 There’s Progress In Shop Floor Thermal Compensation 

42 Inspecting Thin-walled Parts With VENTO R-SF 

Tech Tip 

31 Measuring A Threaded Hole The Easy Way 

Industry Viewpoint 

9 Putting The Corporate Image To Work 

50 What’s In A Logo? 

19 The Origins Of Metrology 

25 Training At Brown & Sharpe 

44 Technical Literature Review 

49 Trade Shows And Exhibitions 

47 Advertisers Index 

© 1998 Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company. All rights reserved. 

Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. WINDOWS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. 

4 

CMMs Fly High At Lockheed Martin 

10 

Reducing Inspection Time At Engel 

16 

Faster Measurement At L & S Machine 

Publisher David H. Genest 

Editor-In-Chief Jack Anderson 

European Editor Lucia Drago 

Art Director Steve Ruggieri 

Advertising Sales Manager Kerry E. Fournier 

Circulation Manager David Wright 

Grant Coordinator Doris D. White 

Technical Illustrator Alan Barta 

Resources Manager Donnelly & Duncan, Inc. 

Internet www.bwnshp.com 

E-mail dwright@us.bnsmc.com 

Contributing Authors Marco Manganelli, Marco Pelissero, 

Greg Privette, Nitin K. Shankar, 

Gail Thomas

Marietta, Georgia 

The World’s Largest Planes 

Get A Lift From 

Coordinate Metrology 

When people in the aerospace 

industry think big, they think 

Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin 

Aeronautical Systems, Marietta, Georgia, 

an operating unit of Lockheed Martin 

Corporation, designs and builds some of 

the largest and most technically advanced 

aircraft in the world. Since moving into 

the Marietta facility (officially called Air 

Force Plant 6) in 1951, the company has 

produced more than 3,000 aircraft. Over 

the intervening years, Lockheed Martin 

has become the recognized leader in 

large aircraft technology for such programs 

as the C-130 Hercules, C-141 Star- 

Lifter, and C-5 Galaxy cargo aircraft, and 

for maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft 

such as the P-3 Orion. 

Currently in production is a completely 

new version of the venerable C- 

130, the C-130J. The J, when compared 

with earlier models, provides 40 percent 

greater range, 40 percent higher cruising 

ceiling, 21 percent increase in maximum 

speed, 50 percent decrease in time-toclimb, 

and a 41 percent decrease in maximum 

take-off distance. 

The company’s most recent success is 

the Air Force’s new F-22 Raptor air dominance 

fighter, which had its initial flight 

testing in September, 1997.This advanced 

fighter incorporates fourth generation 

stealth technology, integrated avionics 

and sensors, thrust vectoring, and high 

4 mfg. Shaping the Future of Metrology 

reliability and maintainability in a highly 

maneuverable aircraft. 

As one of the world’s premiere aerospace 

manufacturers, Lockheed Martin 

Aeronautical Systems has developed technological 

expertise in many areas, including 

advanced materials research and 

applications, avionics development 

and integration, and ad- 

vanced aircraft design.The 

company is considered a 

leader in the practical application 

of robotics, 

computer-aided design 

and manufacturing techniques, 

and integrated 

product development for the 

construction of versatile, reliable 

aircraft. It is in the manufacturing area 

that the company uses coordinate 

metrology as a means of quality and 

process control. 

Making Data 

More Useful 

In one inspection operation, two 

Brown & Sharpe horizontal arm measuring 

machines check the dimensions of 

large assembly tooling for the F-22 and 

C-130 programs. Recently, Aeronautical 

Systems upgraded its inspection software 

from MicroMeasure ® III to PC-DMIS for 

WINDOWS . 

“Most…parts 

inspected here are 

at least 120" long 

and we’ve had some 

over 600" long.” 

The horizontal arm measuring machines 

are large capacity, highly accurate 

measuring systems designed to handle 

complex workpieces. At Aeronautical Systems, 

the machines are used to inspect a 

variety of component sizes, from 4" 

square to 36" wide by 8' long. 

According to Mike Mason, 

Senior Operations Analyst, the 

company had been spending 

a significant amount 

of time generating inspection 

reports and was 

looking for a way to 

speed up the process. “We 

received new requirements 

concerning the method of reporting 

out-of-tolerance conditions 

on the F-22 tooling,” he said. “We 

needed to give our Ft.Worth division the 

actual dimensions in aircraft coordinates 

and also had to give them the actual 

anomalies relative to CATIA ® surfaces.” 

Aeronautical Systems uses the CATIA 

CAD/CAM software program from Dassault 

Systèmes to construct tooling models. 

Using the previous inspection software 

system, X,Y, Z data had to be 

manually entered into the CATIA program 

and compared to the CATIA surfaces 

after the workpiece was measured. 

The system then had to generate tabular 

reports as well as graphics. “Depending 

on the complexity of the part, this post- 

The reputable C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft 

serves with distinction in air forces 

around the world. Over the years, it has 

undergone design changes to make it 

one of the most dependable airlifters 

ever built. A recently upgraded version, 

the C-130J flies further, faster, and higher 

than its predecessors. 

mfg. The Brown & Sharpe Publication of Precision Manufacturing 

5

measurement work took us a minimum 

of four hours to as much as several days,” 

Mason said. 

With the PC-DMIS software in place, 

technicians electronically transfer the 

CAD model of the tooling into PC-DMIS 

through IGES conversion. After the inspection 

program is run, the measurement 

data files are converted into visual 

SPC and part dimension reports in just 

minutes with the software’s report module. 

This module lets Aeronautical Systems’ 

quality technicians print or plot a visual 

report showing either measured values 

or statistics from report values selected 

from a CAD file. 

Aeronautical Systems uses the PC- 

DMIS Curves and Surfaces module to 

import free-form 3D models from the 

CATIA system and automatically extract 

mathematical surface nominals and direction 

vectors.When the operator clicks 

on the surface to be inspected, Curves 

and Surfaces drives the CMM along the 

orthogonal surface vectors and collects 

measurement data.That data is compared 

to the CAD nominals and the “fit” of the 

surface is accurately determined regardless 

of its complexity. 

Curves and Surfaces provides the 

nominal and actual point deviation.The 

program also automatically displays the 

nominal tolerance band over the actual 

data curve, providing clarity of the conformance 

of a surface to its nominal model. 

Although the company has just begun using 

the new software, Mason said he expects 

that the post-measurement work 

could be reduced to about one hour, even 

for complex tooling assemblies. 

Automated 

Shop Floor Inspection 

In another, highly automated inspection 

operation, Aeronautical Systems is 

using a Brown & Sharpe Process 

Control Robot (PCR ® ) as an 

integral part of a White- 

Sundstrand Flexible 

Manufacturing System 

(FMS).The fully integrated 

manufacturing 

and inspection system is 

used in the production of 

aluminum aircraft structural 

components. 

The PCR is an automated flexible 

gage designed for production use on the 

shop floor. It can measure parts of virtu- 

Dimensional data collected with a Process Control 

Robot is used by Lockheed Martin Aeronautical 

Systems to monitor the operations of a White- 

Sundstrand FMS. The PCR is an integral part of this 

automated manufacturing system. 

…we’re 

seeing only 1 1 ⁄ 2 

thousandths band 

width error 

in 100" 

ally any configuration and complexity 

without the need for dedicated fixtures. 

At Aeronautical Systems, the raw material 

for the airframe structural components, 

already held in machining fixtures, 

is loaded onto an Automated Guided Vehicle 

(AGV) and delivered to the FMS. After 

machining operations are complete, the 

parts are conveyed to a wash station and 

then to a load/unload station where they 

are removed from the AGV and placed on 

the PCR’s granite table for inspection.The 

part is inspected in the same fixture in 

which it is machined. 

The FMS operator also operates 

the PCR.To start the inspection 

routine, he simply enters the 

part number into the PCR’s 

computer.The computer 

then downloads the correct 

inspection routine and 

performs the inspection automatically. 

Parts are inspected 

for thickness, parallelism, 

flatness, and hole location. 

The PCR can accommodate parts that 

range in size up to 36" high and 52" to 

54" wide. A part of average size and complexity 

requires 400-500 hits during an 

inspection, requiring 18-20 minutes per 

part. Dimensional data gathered during 

the inspection operation is used to control 

the machining process in the FMS. 

“Dimensional data is stored and then 

downloaded for SPC analysis,” said Frank 

Denny, CMM Programming Group 

Leader. “By looking at the trend analysis, 

we know at all times exactly what is happening 

to the part during machining. If 

we begin moving out of control limits, 

we’ll change a cutter or make whatever 

process correction is necessary.” 

Real-time process control is also possible 

with the PCR.The machine is 

equipped with red and blue lights. If the 

red light comes on during the inspection 

process, it indicates that the inspection 

program has failed in some way—the 

probe has run into the part, for example. 

If the blue light comes on, it means that 

the machine has found an out-of-tolerance 

condition. 

“When an operator sees a blue light, 

At 125' 

long, this 

Brown & Sharpe 

DEA gantry CMM at 

Lockheed Martin is the 

largest dual drive measuring 

machine in the world. Some of the 

components measured on the machine 

have more than 19,000 features to be 

checked per side. Inset: The F-22 Raptor. 

he examines the inspection results 

immediately after the machine finishes 

the routine and corrects the process right 

away,” Denny said. 

Big Capacity 

For Big Parts 

The dimensions of extremely large airframe 

components and tooling are inspected 

at Aeronautical Systems on the world’s 

largest dual drive gantry coordinate measuring 

machine.The gantry CMM, installed 

some 11 years ago by Brown & Sharpe 

DEA, is 125' long and features nine granite 

surface tables inside the machine rails. 

“Most of the parts inspected here are 

at least 120" long and we’ve had some 

over 600" long,” said David Caudill, 

Quality Technician and Assistant Manager 

of the gantry machine. According to 

Caudill, most of the workpieces inspected 

on the machine are two sided, 

meaning that dimensions have to be 

checked to assure that feature relationships 

exist between forward and aft, or 

inboard and outboard sides. 

“Even if we don’t have features we 

can reach that are common to both sides 

when we align the part on the machine, 

we measure features from one side and 

then verify those same features to the 

other side of the workpiece,” Caudill said. 

The majority 

of parts 

being inspected on 

the machine now are 

for the F-22 fighter and 

the C-130. Inspection routines 

run anywhere from 30 

minutes to four hours, with 

some of the larger components having 

19,000 features to check per side. 

For all of its size, the gantry CMM is 

very accurate and repeatable.The machine 

is equipped with a thermal compensation 

system that includes sensors that monitor 

the temperature status of the machine’s 

scales and the workpiece, and apply correction 

factors to measurement results. 

“We’ve had the machine checked by 

our own calibration people, and we’re 

seeing only 1 1 ⁄ 2 thousandths band width 

error in 100". That’s very good for a machine 

this size,” Caudill said. 

Flexible Measurement 

Saves Time 

For smaller aluminum airframe parts, 

Aeronautical Systems uses a Brown & 

Sharpe Xcel ® flexible, automatic coordinate 

measuring machine. The Xcel is 

located 

in an environmentallycontrolled 

room in the machine 

shop. 

In the past, many of these parts were 

checked using hand tools, and in some 

cases, fixed gages. But, as components 

become more complex, the use of hand 

tools to measure their dimensions becomes 

more difficult. 

“The Xcel saves us a lot of time measuring 

parts that would be difficult to 

inspect using hand tools,” said Darrell 

Waddell, Quality Technician. “Some of 

the parts, because of their configuration, 

would be almost impossible to check 

without a computer-controlled machine.” 

Throughout its manufacturing operations, 

Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems 

uses a variety of quality and process 

control tools to assure the integrity of 

airframe components. Coordinate measuring 

machines play a critical role in 

those operations. o 

Circle 701 on the READER SERVICE CARD

Moscow, Russia 

Thirst Quenching First Order 

From Russia For Custom 

Metrology 

Custom Metrology will supply measuring 

systems for one of the first 

high-volume beverage can manufacturing 

plants to be built in Russia via foreign 

investment.They are the first automatic 

inspection machines to be made by 

Brown & Sharpe’s Custom Metrology 

Division for the Russian market. 

The order for the beverage can inspection 

machines has been placed by PLM, an 

international beverage can manufacturer, 

who has recently announced plans 

for the plant to be built south 

of Moscow. PLM is headquartered 

in Sweden 

with factories in 

Sweden, Germany, 

France, and Austria. 

The shophardenedmeasuring 

equipment, 

which Custom 

Metrology has 

supplied to the can 

industry for the last 

eight years, will be 

used for sample inspection 

of beverage cans across 

two high-speed production lines 

directly in the manufacturing plant. 

The installation package includes an 

automatic, trimmed-can inspection machine 

and an automatic, finished-can inspection 

machine, including an integral 

weighing scale and modules for testing 


axial 

load, 

dome 

growth, and 

dome reversal. 

The machines will be 

situated at either end of the manufacturing 

process to measure the can at the 

front end of the operation, and the finished 

product at the back end where it 

will undergo a dimensional and destructive 

test. 

TESA can inspection machines are designed to 

be integrated into production lines to provide 

accurate dimensional inspection of can lids and 

other critical features. 

Although it is the first installation of 

its type in Russia for Brown & Sharpe, 

Custom Metrology can measuring machines 

are operating all over the world, 

principally America, Europe, and in Asian 

Pacific countries. o 


Viewpoint 

Putting The Corporate 

Image To Work 

Brown & Sharpe has made the most significant change to its 

corporate identity since the company was founded 165 

years ago.We’ve made a dramatic change in our logo, and have 

consolidated our family of brands to better focus our commercial 

image on our corporate, Brown & Sharpe, name. All of us at the 

company are excited about this new image, and the new opportunities 

it creates to serve our customers. 

Let’s look at the new logo. A company’s logo is meant to be a 

visualization of how that organization wishes to be viewed by its 

customers, and our new logo uniquely describes who we are and 

what we do. 

Our business is to provide our customers with ways to precisely 

measure manufactured parts. One element of the new logo is 

the decimal point which helps us illustrate this. Our business is to 

the precision, or right-hand, side of the decimal point.The third 

and partially visible zero indicates that Brown & Sharpe’s measurement 

technology is continually moving in that precision direction, 

splitting microns to provide even more accuracy and repeatability. 

Over the past several years, Brown & Sharpe has built a strong 

infrastructure of products, service, and distribution throughout 

the world.This has been accomplished primarily through the acquisition 

of other metrology companies.Today we have a single, 

global organization that is by far the most experienced, knowledgeable 

company in its field. By focusing attention on the 

Brown & Sharpe name, we do two things. First, we tie together 

the disparate parts of the company and direct our corporate energies 

to providing our customers with ever-improving levels of 

product development and service. Second, we present to our customers 

a clear, simple, uncluttered image of our company.The 

single name tells our customers that we are the single best source 

for metrology equipment in the world. 

Our new branding strategy and our new logo signify a new 

organization, new products and services, and a new way of doing 

business.We see this change as the beginning of a new era in our 

history — the start of our program to be the world’s major supplier 

of measuring systems and equipment.You should see it as 

an opportunity to take advantage of the most advanced, precise, 

and comprehensive measurement technology in the world — 

technology that will change the way you do business. 

Frank T. Curtin 

Chairman, President and CEO 


Circle 700 on the READER SERVICE CARD 


9

Guelph, Ontario 

Gantry CMM Cuts Inspection 

Time At Engel Canada 

nstallation of a gantry-type coordinate 

measuring machine at Engel Canada 

Inc., Guelph, Ontario, has helped the company 

reduce overall inspection time, and 

helped assemblers build optimized injection 

molding machines. 

Engel is a major manufacturer of injection 

molding equipment. Products include 

injection molding machines, automation 

equipment, and software for 

molding thermoplastics, thermosets, 

BMC, LSR, elastomers, and powdered 

metals.The company also manufactures 

systems designed for advanced processing 

technologies such as gas melt, lost 

core, and textile melt. 

The Engel Canada Inc. facility specializes 

in the manufacture of 35 to 200 ton 

hydraulic, tiebar-less and 150 to 500 ton 

toggle injection molding machines, 

along with sprue pickers, pick-and-place 

handling devices, servo-driven robots, 

mold mount and change systems, and 

production monitoring systems. 

To help reduce inspection time, the 

company installed a Brown & Sharpe 

DEA BETA SP gantry coordinate measuring 

machine on the machine shop floor 

to handle large molding machine components, 

such as platens that are about a 

meter and a half long by 3 I 

⁄ 4 of a meter 

wide and weigh up to 5,000 kilograms. 

“Our installation is somewhat unique 

in that we don’t have a surface plate or 

table that we place the parts on,” said 

Steve Schock, Engel Canada Quality Man- 

ager. “We put the 

parts right on the 

floor.The foundation 

that we’re 

using formerly 

supported a machining 

center, 

and subsequent 

vibration tests confirmed 

that we’ve 

got a stable pad.” 

In the past, Engel 

Canada did use a surface plate. 

Inspectors would stand large machine 

components on an 8' x 6' x 18' table and 

check dimensions with a height gage. On 

a “first off” inspection of a major part, 

like a platen, more than 1,000 data points 

might have to be collected to gather the 

dimensional information necessary for 

process correction. Dimensional tolerances 

are tight. Even on large parts, 

squareness and parallelism tolerances run 

in the neighborhood of 0.03 mm. It was 

a time-consuming process, taking up to 

four hours for some parts. 

More Data 

More Quickly 

The installation of the BETA CMM has 

reduced the setup inspection time for 

these larger parts to about one hour. 

The Brown & Sharpe DEA BETA is a 

medium-sized gantry CMM designed to 

operate with high accuracy and reliability 

in an open shop 

environment.The 

aluminum machine 

structure 

quickly adapts 

to temperature 

changes, and 

scale readings 

are not affected 

by changes in the 

machine structure 

caused by thermal gradients. 

Fully covered ways 

protect the machine from airborne 

contaminants. 

In the Engel Canada machine shop, 

the BETA SP is installed adjacent to a 

large grinder—a condition that is about 

as harsh as it can get for precision measuring 

equipment, according to Schock. 

“We’ve noticed no degradation in reliability 

or accuracy because of the CMM’s 

location, however,” he said. 

The open design of the BETA SP allows 

easy integration of existing material handling 

equipment. Large molding machine 

components are moved to the CMM by an 

overhead crane and can be easily placed 

within its measuring envelope. 

Most of the production runs at Engel 

Canada are short, averaging about 10 

pieces, so it is important to quickly communicate 

inspection results from a first 

off piece to the machine operator so that 

he can make offset adjustments to his 

machine to keep parts within tolerance 

A Brown & Sharpe DEA BETA SP gantry at Engel Canada Inc. is set up to check the dimensions 

of a large molding machine component. The CMM has significantly reduced inspection time for 

these large parts. 

for the rest of the run. 

“The CMM gives us that capability,” 

said Jeff Bratt, Engel Canada Machine 

Shop Quality Control Supervisor. “We 

make a printout of the inspection results, 

mark it up, and send it back to the operator 

with the information he needs to correct 

his process. Before we had this capability, 

it was a lot more difficult to 

communicate process information to the 

operator,” he said. 

Bratt added that the CMM has also 

helped the company detect, much sooner 

than before, if a machine tool requires 

preventative maintenance because of its 

inability to hold tolerance. 

Best Fit Means 

Better Assembly 

Engel uses a modular concept to 

build its machines. Design flexibility is 

applied to meet certain applications by 

configuring standard machine components 

to suit specific needs. 

“We don’t build a standard machine 

here,” Bratt said. “Our market niche is the 

custom mold market.We have a standard 

base, but we have over 500 options that 

we put into machines, therefore each is 

quite different when it leaves the plant.” 

This modular approach to machine 

construction requires that sub-assemblies 

be checked for proper fit. 

“We use the BETA to sort those components 

to give us the best assembly for 

certain applications,” said Bratt. “With 

the CMM, we’ve been able to put some 

smaller machines entirely within the 

measuring envelope and check the parallelism 

of components with the machine 

clamped up. 

“If we’re running into a problem 

with the machine functioning as it 

The 

BETA SP is installed 

adjacent to a large 

grinder—a condition 

that is about as harsh as 

it can get for precision 

measuring equipment 

should, 

we can 

now move the 

whole machine assembly to the BETA and 

perform some critical alignment checks 

to make sure that components fit together 

properly,” Bratt said. 

As Engel Canada continues to grow 

and ramp up the number of machines it 

ships each year, there may be need for 

additional coordinate measuring machines. 

“We know what coordinate 

metrology can do, and the payoff has 

been rather fast,” Schock said. “In order 

to meet future production demands, we 

will be looking at replacing some other 

surface plate tools with a small CMM to 

handle smaller parts.” o 


10 mfg. Shaping the Future of Metrology mfg. The Brown & Sharpe Publication of Precision Manufacturing 11

Turbine engine overhaul operations: 

Inspecting turbine engine components, 

particularly blades, is an important 

part of not only original equipment 

manufacturing, but in overhaul operations 

as well. Coordinate measuring machines 

are being used more frequently to 

perform a number of critical engine 

component inspection routines, including 

blade inspection, vane and nozzle 

segment inspection, and checking dimensional 

features for wear and distortion. 

According to Bob Lee, Brown & 

Sharpe’s Manager of Aerospace Systems 

Sales, CMMs offer flexibility, speed, and 

improved accuracy over traditional inspection 

methods, plus they provide documented 

results in a variety of formats. 

Shop Floor 

Inspection Flexibility 

CMMs have been used for the past 

two decades to inspect turbine engine 

blades as they are manufactured. Dimensional 

data from the inspection operation 

is used to adjust process parameters before 

out-of-tolerance conditions produce 

non-conforming parts. 

“One of the advantages of coordinate 

measuring machines is that they can be 

used on the shop floor to inspect components 

in a production environment,” Lee 

said. “For example, we have an application 

where a Brown & Sharpe MicroPCR ® 

is used to perform a leading and trailing 

edge profile evaluation on a compressor 

blade on the shop floor.” 

Using a full statistics package in its 

MicroMeasure ® IV software, the MicroPCR 

quickly computes inspection results 

for one section of the blade, while 


CMMs boost efficiency and accuracy 

the machine collects dimensional data on 

subsequent sections. Blades are held in a 

generic fixture that accommodates several 

different sized blades.The MicroPCR has 

been programmed to identify which 

blade is held in the fixture by touching 

three points.The CMM also allows the operator 

to select specific inspection routines 

for as-forged or machined 

airfoils. Data 

gathering 

speed is 

approximately 

two 

points 

per second, 

much 

faster than traditional, 

surface 

plate tool inspection 

methods. Measurement results can be 

printed out in numerical or graphic form. 

Collecting Large Amounts 

of Data Quickly 

That flexibility for shop floor process 

control measurements also makes CMMs 

viable alternatives to traditional inspection 

methods in turbine engine overhaul 

and maintenance operations. Certain 

types of CMMs have the ability to collect 

large amounts of data quickly and accurately, 

an important consideration in turbine 

engine component inspection and a 

feature of coordinate metrology that sets 

it apart from other types of inspection 

techniques. 

Brown & Sharpe’s Chameleon 

multi-sensor scanning coordinate 

measuring machine is designed 

especially for 

applications that require 

gathering 

large amounts 

of data, and is 

particularly 

useful in 

inspection 

routines designed 

to 

find damaged 

edges. 

“The machine 

is used 

to perform fan 

blade inspection 

using a high-speed, 

Coordinate measuring machines 

with scanning capability can gather 

large amounts of data quickly, 

making analysis of contoured airfoil 

shapes fast and precise. 

closed-loop scanning technique. In a 

closed-loop system, the probe automatically 

detects changes in surface direction 

and adjusts itself to maintain contact 

with the part surface,” Lee said. 

In this type of inspection routine, 

the CMM scans the surface and trailing 

edge of the blade, looking for imperfections 

that indicate damage.The CMM 

performs two scans. The second scan is 

about 1 ⁄ 2 mm parallel to the first scan. 

Data from the two scans is used by the 

measuring system software to compute 

the true 3D surface shape of the blade. 

During analysis, spline functions are 

used to remove the mismatch between 

the scanned points and the nominal 

points so that deviations from the nominal 

to the actual can be calculated. 

Separating Bad 

From Good 

Using coordinate measuring machines 

to inspect the dimensions of turbine 

blades is significantly faster than using 

fixed gaging. A benefit of quick 

inspection is that it is possible to isolate 

bad parts from good ones, and in some 

cases determine why a particular feature 

is not dimensionally correct. 

In one overhaul and inspection application, 

the customer is using a Brown & 

Sharpe MicroVal ® PFx ® to check a lowpressure 

turbine blade for bend and 

twist, the shroud for form, and seals 

for radial height. 

“The coordinate measuring machine 

is programmed to recognize 

what stage blade is put into 

the fixture simply by checking 

a Z height or radius 

height,” Lee said. “From this 

measurement data, the machine 

identifies the blade’s 

part number and accesses 

the correct inspection program 

automatically.” 

The MicroVal PFx first measures the 

shroud, then graphically shows where 

the dimensions should be and where the 

dimensional errors are located.The software 

then performs a best fit on the 

shroud shape.Then the machine measures 

the dimensions of the shroud, independent 

of the rest of the blade.This 

analysis determines whether the shroud 

is deformed or if a twist in the airfoil is 

causing the shroud to be mislocated. If 

the dimensions are out-of-tolerance, the 

machine operator sends the blade to the 

appropriate repair operation. 

“Coordinate measuring machines 

give turbine engine component manufacturers 

and maintenance operators a 

fast, efficient, and flexible method of per- 

CMMs give turbine engine builders and 

overhaul and repair stations the flexibility to 

inspect a wide range of airfoil configurations 

without the need for custom fixtures or 

gages. Measurement data can be retrieved 

in a variety of formats. 

forming dimensional inspection of a variety 

of parts and part families,” Lee said. 

“They can significantly reduce inspection 

time and thus contribute to bottom line 

profitability.” o 



13

Industry 

News 

Brown & Sharpe is having a direct input 

into a new standard for oil pipe 

TESA’s 

thread gaging.The new ISO standard for 

the manufacture and inspection of oil 

pipe threads is expected to be implemented 

before the end of the century. 

Brown & Sharpe’s role is in the consultative 

process prior to the first drafting of a 

new standard, 10422, which is expected 

in 1998. 

Alan Jones, Brown & Sharpe Custom 

Metrology Project Manager, is sitting on 

a British Standard subcommittee for the 

creation of a new ISO specification to replace 

the present American Petroleum 

Institute (API) standard for oil pipe 

thread gaging. “Because of our expertise 

in measurement of oil pipe threads, and 

the facilities we have at Telford, England, 

some of the subcommittee meetings are 

being hosted by Brown & Sharpe,” Jones 

said.The subcommittee has been working 

on the new specification for five years, 

and meetings have been rotated between 

London, Aberdeen, and Telford. 

Custom Metrology has long been associated 

with oil pipe thread gaging applica- 



Assists In Drafting New 

Gaging Standard For Oil 

Pipe Threads 

tions and has developed the QUADCAM, 

an advanced thread gaging system.This 

gaging system is already being used by 

some oil pipe threaders who need the 

QUADCAM system to verify the manufacturing 

quality which allows improved 

“down-hole” performance over that 

achieved by standard API connectors. Current 

API connector performance is partly 

limited by that design’s older methods of 

hard gaging. 

The necessity for oil pipe thread gaging 

is critical. Once each section of an oil 

pipeline is set into its location, it is vital 

that the threads remain secure in order to 

avoid leaks and blowouts which would 

compromise the integrity of the entire 

pipeline, resulting in damage to the environment 

and costly repairs.The manufacture 

of oil pipes has been automated for 

QUADCAM fourcamera 

thread measuring 

machine (lower left) can 

correctly measure any API 

thread presented to it, 

regardless of the pipe 

position. The fully automatic 

system can handle 

nominal pipe sizes from 

60 mm to 250 mm. 

some years, yet inspection 

was manual and labor-intensive 

until Custom Metrology 

began to optimize the 

inspection process. 

The QUADCAM was 

developed via a special 

project for Kawasaki Steel 

Corporation in Japan.The 

system works directly in the 

production line at Kawasaki’s Chita 

Works 24 hours a day, performing 100 

percent inspection routines at high speed, 

and has made a major contribution to the 

quality control system in the plant. 

The machine automatically aligns the 

pipe, measures the threads via a scan 

process, calculates size and gives a component 

classification. All measurement results 

are analyzed through TML 2000 

software, which gives fully comprehensive 

measurement displays and provides 

machine tool correction feedback. A typical 

cycle time for a thread is less than 12 

seconds. Calibration of the machine at 

regular intervals is also automatic and 

fully traceable. o 


Wichita, Kansas 

Aerospace Shop Soars Over 

Measurement Bottlenecks 

B usiness has been brisk for L & S 

Machine Company Inc., an aerospace 

machine shop in Wichita, Kansas. 

The company machines 500 different 

aerospace part numbers a year.This is a 

dramatic increase from approximately 

250 part numbers just two years ago. 

Growth has placed a tremendous load on 

the company’s dimensional measurement 

capabilities. 

A Division of 

Tru Circle Corporation, 

L & S 

Machine employs 

about 160 

people. For the fiscal years ’97 and ’98, 

sales bookings have increased by approximately 

25 percent and 30 percent respectively.This 

very healthy growth rate 

is due, in part, to the company’s willing- 


If a manufacturing non-conformity is found, PC- 

DMIS for WINDOWS can display dimensional data 

on the computer’s screen, along with a drawing of 

the part. Analysis of the drawing helps engineers 

pinpoint process problems. 

ness to take on the manufacturing of 100 

percent more part numbers. Along with 

this opportunity has come the responsibility 

to set up, trouble-shoot, and validate 

twice as many manufacturing 

processes. 

Rather than buy more measurement 

equipment and double its inspection staff, 

L & S has kept pace with the increased dimensional 

measurement work by relying 

on PC-DMIS for 

WINDOWS graphicscoupled 

CMM software 

to improve measurement 

capabilities and 

throughput.The software has also made a 

significant contribution to the company’s 

overall improvements in productivity and 

adherence to production schedules during 

the past three years. 

The parts are typically complex 3, 4, 

and 5-axis components with true position 

tolerances down to .001". They are 

used in a wide range of assemblies and 

subassemblies for commercial and military 

aircraft, including structural members, 

landing gear and wing flaps. 

For many years, inspection had been 

the number one bottleneck in the manufacturing 

process. Before installing PC- 

DMIS for WINDOWS, in-process inspection 

was complicated. Operators had to memorize 

numerous codes to access the various 

programming and measurement features. 

Even performing rough, in-process 

checks was time consuming because 

every specific set of points measured required 

its own program. According to 

Skip Steely, Quality Assurance Manager, 

inspection was laborious, and training 

CMM operators was difficult. 

Improving 

Programming Throughput 

Now, instead of memorizing codes, 

operators use a screen drawing of the part 

to select dimensions that need to be measured, 

and measurement parameters are 

entered quickly by filling out simple 

menus. PC-DMIS software displays the 

drawing based on an IGES file supplied by 

the customer.Typically the IGES file is used 

as-is. However, if the customer supplies a 

complex, multi-layered drawing (e.g. in 

CATIA ® ), this can be easily reduced to the 

essentials needed for measurement using a 

program called CAMAX ® . 

Steely said that writing a conventional 

CMM part program used to take 

about 40 to 80 hours. “Now we have that 

down to about 16 to 40 hours depending 

on the complexity of the part.We’ve 

essentially cut our initial part programming 

time in half,” he said. 

With PC-DMIS, separate programs are 

not required for rough, in-process checks. 

The operator can select any set of points 

on the screen drawing, and PC-DMIS will 

automatically measure them.The disparity 

between finished part and rough part tolerances 

are handled simply by entering 

appropriate values in a pop-up menu. 

Since there is no longer a programming 

time penalty to do rough checks, they are 

performed more frequently. Fast, rough 

checks have helped L & S reduce in-spec 

PC-DMIS for WINDOWS, retrofitted to this LK G 80C coordinate measuring machine, has helped L&S 

Machine Company improve inspection throughput without the need for additional equipment. 

Because inspection routines are much faster now, machine tools average 95 percent utilization. 

variation on some parts, and this translates 

to improved quality and productivity 

in assembly. 

L & S has three measurement systems, 

one manufactured by Brown & Sharpe 

and two by LK. Since PC-DMIS software 

is common to all three, only one program 

needs to be written per part, no 

matter how many machines it will be 

measured on.That also results in a reduction 

in programming man-hours. 

While conventional programming 

is typically performed 

as a teach-and-learn opera- 

tion at the CMM, an offline 

version of PC-DMIS 

makes it possible to 

perform all of the programming 

on a personal 

computer. L & S has 

two off-line licenses for 

PC-DMIS which assures that 

measurement will no longer be an obstacle. 

Part programming can now begin 

before the first piece has been manufactured, 

and CMMs are more frequently 

“We’ve essentially 

cut our initial part 

programming time 

in half.” 

available for measuring parts, since they 

are not required for part programming. 

Optimizing CMM 

Operator Productivity 

L & S is managing substantial increases 

in production with only a modest 

increase in inspection personnel.This is 

fortunate because experienced people are 

hard to find. 

“We try to hire the best CMM 

operators we possibly can,” said 

Steely, “but unfortunately, 

Wichita is a Boeing, Lear Jet, 

and Cessna town. Most of 

the talent is locked into 

positions with those other 

companies. PC-DMIS allows 

us to bring in inspectors 

who have had limited CMM 

experience and train them to be 

proficient.” Using this philosophy, L & S 

recently increased the number of CMM 

operators on staff from four to six. 

“If they are used to the WINDOWS 


17

environment in some other type of software,that’s 

half the battle. If they know 

how to inspect parts on a surface plate, 

with a week’s worth of training they will 

also understand how to operate the 

CMMs using the PC-DMIS point and click 

operator interface.Then we give them a 

little bit of coaching over the next few 

weeks and they are off and running,” 

Steely said. 

There are a great many parts that run 

automatically in an hour or less. It only 

takes a few minutes for the operator to 

swap in a new part and begin inspection. 

While the CMM is in operation, the operator 

can be performing conventional 

measurements on a surface plate or writing 

more CMM programs on a PC-DMIS 

off-line station. 

Maximizing Production 

Machine Uptime 

L & S Machine has made a concerted 

effort to improve up-time for production 

manufacturing equipment.Where 60-75 

percent uptime was not uncommon several 

years ago, today most production 

equipment is averaging 95 percent utilization. 

PC-DMIS has helped. 


Steely said, “Because we use 

our CMMs more efficiently, we 

have been able to reduce hard 

gaging in the shop. Operators 

used to set the parts up on hard gages for 

first-piece inspection.This was very timeconsuming. 

Now the operators are just 

responsible for some simple hand measurements—wall 

thicknesses, radii, holes 

and a visual.Then the parts come directly 

to inspection, and we run them quickly 

on the CMM.While we are doing 

this, the machine operator 

runs a proven part that has 

already been set up on a 

pallet. So, very little time 

is lost.” Steely said a typical 

first-piece inspection 

on the CMM will check 

hundreds of features in 

about a half an hour. Checking 

50 features in the shop with 

a hard gage used to take about four 

hours. 

Customers are frequently on hand for 

the first-piece inspection of critical parts. 

PC-DMIS can automatically change the 

feature numbers to match the bubble 

numbers on the part drawing.The customer 

can look down at the inspection re- 

Using PC-DMIS for WINDOWS software with this Brown & 

Sharpe MicroXcel CMM, L & S Machine Company has reduced 

time required for first-piece inspection. 

A 

typical first-piece 

inspection…will 

check hundreds of 

features in about a 

half an hour. 

sults and know exactly what has been 

measured. 

Finally, Steely noted that PC-DMIS 

is an excellent tool for problem solving. 

“When manufacturing finds a nonconformity, 

they will frequently request 

additional data.We bring up the part 

drawing on our PC and visually determine 

where we need to 

measure.We will take those 

measurements, and the results 

will be right on the 

screen. Once we blow 

that up, they can see 

where the surface actually 

is in relation to the CAD 

drawing. Before, when we 

gave manufacturing tabular data, 

there were frequently discussions about 

where the measurement was actually 

taken. PC-DMIS has eliminated that. Our 

manufacturing people just go and fix the 

problem. It’s really clean.” o 


The Origins of Metrology 

In ancient time-measurement 

systems, day and night were 

divided into 12 hours each. 

This was convenient for use 

with sundials, which the 

Chinese used in a primitive 

form as early as 2600 BC. 

Because the length of daylight 

and darkness varies with the 

season, so did the length of the 

Chinese hour. When water 

clocks came into use, about a 

thousand years after sundials, a 

conflict between the two forms 

of measurement was apparent. 

A water clock works 

because water from one container 

flows through an opening 

at a steady rate into another 

container. The amount of water 

in the other container moves 

an indicator of some kind—in 

simplest form, a marked face. 

As the indicator moves, it 

shows the passage of time in 

hours. When the length of the 

hour changed from season to 

season, a different water clock 

was needed for each month. 

Ancient peoples solved this 

problem in various ways, such 

as having different marked 

faces for each month. In that 

way the water clock was never 

far out of line with the sundial, 

which also remained in use. 

Later, instead of modifying 

water clocks to change with 

the seasons, sundials were constructed 

to show hours of the 

same length all year. 

In the eighth century AD, 

the Chinese began to fashion 

water clocks with primitive 

escapements. The escapement is 

a ratchet that causes a wheel to 

move only so far and then stop. 

Continuous motion is replaced 

with discrete “ticks”. By the 

beginning of the fourteenth 

century, the concept of an 

escapement was known in 

Europe where it was used to 

slow down the motion of a 

falling weight attached to it by 

a cord or chain. This motion 

was converted with gears to 

turn the hands of a clock. 

Mechanical clocks using 

escapements and weights were 

gradually improved and put in 

towers all over Europe. o 

2 

in a se ri es 

2600 B.C. 

Primitive forms of 

sundials used in China. 

2500 B.C. 

Measuring devices 

unearthed from Moenjo- 

Daro testify to the 

importance placed upon 

precision and accuracy. 

The weights, generally 

made of chert, a hard, 

flint-like rock, were cut 

according to strict standards 

apparently under 

the control of a central 

authority. The broken 

ruler shown is marked 

off at exact intervals of 

.264 inch. 

2500 B.C. 

Stone Goose Weight, 

Mesopotamia. Weight 

was often measured by 

using produce, such as 

grain, for comparison. 

Since these weights can 

vary, standardized systems 

of weights were 

invented. Surprisingly 

accurate early weights 

from the region were 

made of stone and 

carved into the shape of 

sleeping geese. 

Early water clock. 


19

Cumbernauld, Scotland 

Brown & Sharpe laser caliper goes on-line: 

Thickness Tolerances Under The Guillotine 

by Gail Thomas 

Isola Werke UK Ltd. is recognized 

throughout the world as a leading 

manufacturer and supplier of circuit 

board material for the electronics industry.To 

ensure their finished circuit boards 

are manufactured within the specified 

thickness tolerance, the company recently 

installed a Brown & Sharpe non-contact 

laser caliper measuring system in their 

factory in Cumbernauld, Scotland. 


Before the introduction of non-contact 

measurement, an inspector checked 

circuit board thickness at two positions 

using a micrometer.This was not only 

time consuming, but gave poor repeatability 

and reproducibility, as well as 

marking the circuit board material. 

Mounted to the feed table of an automatic 

guillotine, the material is drawn 

through the laser caliper by the existing 

powered rollers.The laser caliper is synchronized 

to start collecting thickness 

data when the guillotine is started, and 

finishes when the end of the strip is detected.The 

last batch of thickness measurements 

are discarded to ensure that 

any faults in the edge of the material do 

not skew the average sheet thickness results. 

A length of sheet can be inspected 

during the automated cycle of the guillo- 

At the Isola Werke factory, a Brown & Sharpe laser caliper provides accurate, 100 percent in-line inspection of circuit board material thickness. The laser caliper system 

is mounted directly onto the feed table of an automatic guillotine and is synchronized to collect dimensional data during the cutting operation. 

tine with instantaneous display of average 

thickness and classification.This means 

there is no time penalty for 100 percent 

thickness inspection of the circuit board 

material.The laser caliper’s modular design 

means it can be simply “bolted on” 

to an existing line or machine tool and 

adjusted to accommodate a large range 

of material thicknesses. 

Brown & Sharpe’s TML 2000 gaging 

software allows any mechanical adjustment, 

calibration, or measurement program 

selections to be made in a matter of 

seconds.With optional modules including 

SPC data acquisition, machine tool 

feedback, and full networking capability, 

the software may be adapted 

to suit specific customer 

needs. Using advanced laser 

triangulation techniques, 

multiple “on the fly” noncontact 

thickness measurements 

are obtained 

which can be processed to 

find maximum, minimum 

and average material thickness. 

Pass or Fail classification messages can be 

displayed to indicate out-of-tolerance 

material to the operator at a glance. 

The laser caliper system has been designed 

predominately for use on in-line 

processes, measuring materials that are 

soft, pliable, wet, or otherwise unsuitable 

for traditional contact measurement 

techniques. o 

Gail Thomas is a Marketing Administrator for 

Brown & Sharpe Custom Metrology. 


The laser 

caliper’s modular 

design means it 

can be simply 

“bolted on”… 


21

Paramount, California 

Gantry CMM Helps Aerospace 

Contractor Keep Pace 

Today, there are two constants in the 

evolving world of aerospace manufacturing—tight 

design tolerances and 

even tighter delivery schedules. At Aircraft 

Engineering Corporation, staying competitive 

in this tough business means 

taking advantage of the opportunities 

that those two challenges offer a seasoned 

contractor. 

AEC is a versatile, Small Disadvantaged 

Business providing engineering, 

design, numerical control programming, 

and fabrication support for major assemblies, 

sub-component assemblies, and 

tooling to the country’s advanced commercial, 

military, and space programs. 

For the past 38 years, AEC has developed 

and refined an expertise in tool design, 

machining, welding, composite fabrication, 

bonding, and structural assembly in 

both prototype and production atmospheres.The 

company also supports installations 

of end item assemblies and large 

assembly tools, giving customers turnkey 

support from a single source. 

AEC’s extensive operations are housed 

in seven buildings in Paramount, CA, with 

more than 160,000 square feet of manufacturing 

space. It’s one of the largest and 

most advanced facilities of its kind. 

The company’s commitment to ontime, 

on-spec production rests on the use 

of modern production equipment and 

the experienced personnel to operate it. 

For example, in the composite fabrication 

department, a computer controlled 

autoclave, a vacuum forming machine, a 

large walk-in freezer for the storage of 

composite materials, and curing ovens 


assure precision manufacturing operations. 

AEC’s welding department fabricates 

complex flight hardware, ground 

support equipment, electro-mechanical, 

and hydraulic systems.The tooling department 

is equipped to produce plaster 

master patterns, fiberglass and carbon 

fiber lay-up for tooling and production 

parts, graphite composite tooling, assem- 

bly jigs and fixtures, templates, form 

dies, and router fixtures. AEC’s machined 

parts/assembly department supports the 

needs of the fabrication and tooling departments, 

as well as customers’ needs 

for machine/assembly work. Coordinating 

this equipment to meet production 

schedules is one of the secrets of the 

company’s success. 

Some of the largest aerospace components manufactured in the United States are inspected on this 

Brown & Sharpe DEA DELTA gantry CMM at Aircraft Engineering Corporation. 

Keeping Pace 

With Customer Needs 

Using advanced software 

systems, AEC has successfully 

combined computer aided 

design with manufacturing 

and inspection operations to 

accommodate last-minute 

customer design changes. 

One of the ways that AEC 

keeps up with the demand for 

tighter delivery schedules, 

even with the last-minute design 

changes that are frequently 

part of new programs, is through 

the integration of computer aided design 

with the manufacturing and inspection 

operation. 

Recently, the company added eight 

IBM RISC 6000 workstations running 

CATIA ® Version 4.1.7/FR4.1.7 software 

developed by Dassault Systèmes, and four 

Pentium ® Pro workstations operating Unigraphics 

II design and manufacturing 

software.These software systems allow 

AEC engineers to use the customer’s encrypted 

design data to produce a 3D 

solid model tool design based on the 

customer’s requirements. 

Another recent acquisition is a DELTA 

gantry-type coordinate measuring machine 

from Brown & Sharpe DEA.The 

DELTA CMM at AEC has a measuring envelope 

of 200" (X), 100" (Y), and 72" (Z) 

and can accommodate virtually any part 

or assembly manufactured by AEC.The 

machine, one of the largest on the West 

Coast, has undergone testing and qualification 

at AEC and is certified to Advanced 

Technology Assembly specifications. 

This large CMM is being used primarily 

to prove the accuracy of CNC machining. 

In a typical application, the CA- 

TIA software is used to create inspection 

points based on the information from 

the part model. 

These inspection points are used to program 

the DELTA to determine if the part 

conforms to machining specifications. 

CAD Link Reduces 

Inspection Time 

The DELTA is equipped with PC- 

DMIS for WINDOWS geometric measurement 

software. A special feature of PC- 

DMIS for WINDOWS allows operators to 

use the accuracy of original design data 

to create off-line inspection programs 

with graphical part models and probe 

path simulations. At AEC, PC-DMIS for 

WINDOWS downloads 3D part models 

from the CATIA system and creates a 

graphical representation of the part.The 

CMM operator simply clicks on any surface 

or feature of the model to create a 

DCC inspection program. Inspection results 

can be uploaded directly to the CA- 

TIA system by IGES and DMIS links. 

AEC also uses the optional Curves and 

Surfaces module which imports freeform 

3D models from the CATIA system 

and automatically extracts mathematical 

surface nominals and direction vectors. 

When the operator clicks on the surface 

to be inspected, Curves and Surfaces drives 

the CMM along the orthogonal surface 

vectors and collects measurement 

data.That data is compared to the CAD 

nominals, and the “fit” of the surface is 

accurately determined regardless of its 

complexity.When the user clicks on the 

program’s interactive graphic model of 

the part, Curves and Surfaces provides the 

nominal and actual point deviation.The 

program also automatically displays the 

nominal tolerance band over the actual 

data curve providing clarity of the conformance 

of a surface to its nominal model. 

“One of the reasons AEC purchased 

the DELTA was to allow the inspection 

program to keep pace with our new 

high-speed three, four, and five axis machines,” 

according to Jack Peacock, AEC 

Quality Assurance Manager. 

Some of the smaller parts checked 

can be inspected in as little as three minutes.The 

larger assemblies and tooling, 

perhaps having 400 to 500 points to 

check, take an hour to two hours. 

“Without the DELTA, that kind of inspection 

would take us up to a day,” he 

continued at AEC page 49 


23

AEC cont. from page 23 

said, “plus we can measure everything 

that we machine, from parts that are 

just a couple of inches square up to 

anything that’s 200 inches long and 

72 inches high.” 

Stable Temperature Assures 

Measurement Accuracy 

The DELTA at AEC is housed in an 

environmentally controlled room designed 

to keep the ambient temperature 

at 68°F ± 2°F. It is mounted on an independent 

foundation, reinforced with 

one-inch steel bars and dug 6 feet into 

the ground to reduce the effects of vibration, 

and is designed for floor-level 

loading of the DELTA by lift trucks. 

“Temperature variation is the culprit 

when trying to find variant parts 

from a manufacturing operation that 

is not environmentally controlled,” 

Peacock said. Components arrive at the 

DELTA either right off the machine, or 

in the case of a production run, after a 

bench operation to eliminate mismatches 

and deburr the edges of the 

part.When a part comes in for inspection, 

it is “soaked” at 68° for anywhere 

from a couple of hours to 24 hours before 

being inspected to assure compliance 

to engineering specifications.After 

the inspection process, the component 

may be sent to an anodizing process, or 

directly to the customer. 

“One of our goals is to become a 

customer-approved acceptance authority 

in an effort to eliminate the 

need to have a customer source inspector 

come in and check every 

part,” Peacock said. “Quality management 

is confident that the Delta will 

assist AEC in providing objective evidence 

to our customers that we can 

machine and fabricate parts to engineering 

specification tolerances consistently 

to meet the requirements for 

approved acceptance authority.” o 


Consolidated branding,logo change, 

mark a new era for Brown & Sharpe 

There’s a new look at Brown & Sharpe. 

Effective January 1, 1998, the company 

adopted a single brand strategy for 

Measuring Systems that is designed to 

clarify the company’s image in the global 

metrology market. Along with that 

change, there’s a new color scheme for 

products and a new corporate logo. “Our 

objectives with the brand strategy, the 

logo change, and the new color scheme 

are to take advantage of the equity of the 

Brown & Sharpe name 

throughout 

the world,” said 

David Genest, Brown & Sharpe’s Director 

of Corporate Communications, 

“and, by promoting a single brand, to 

make maximum use of our resources.” 

Here’s how the new branding strategy 

will work.The DEA-Brown & Sharpe 

factory in Turin, Italy will change its 

name to Brown & Sharpe DEA with the 


products manufactured there re-branded 

Brown & Sharpe DEA.The Leitz-Brown & 

Sharpe factory in Wetzlar, Germany will 

change its name to Brown & Sharpe with 

products manufactured there re-branded 

Brown & Sharpe. 

In the Precision Measuring Instruments 

operation, the TESA and ROCH 

factories will change their names to 

Brown & Sharpe TESA 

and 

Brown & Sharpe ROCH, 

and all their brands will be endorsed 

with the new Brown & Sharpe logo and 

“A Brown & Sharpe Company.” In the 

UK, all PMI operations will fall under 

Brown & Sharpe PMI Limited. 

Custom Metrology products will remain 

under the corporate Brown & Sharpe 

brand with no changes. 

The joint venture Automation Software 

company, now a full Brown & 

Sharpe subsidiary and renamed Brown & 

Sharpe Aftermarket Services, will focus 

exclusively on post-warranty customer 

support and service. 

New Colors, New Logo 

The brand consolidation strategy is 

based on extensive research conducted 

over a nine-month period by 

Landor Associates, one of the world’s 

leading branding consultants. Landor’s 

recommendations also included 

changing Brown & Sharpe’s 

logo and the color scheme of the 

company’s products. All Brown & 

Sharpe Measuring Systems and 

Custom Metrology products 

manufactured throughout the 

world will carry the company’s 

new color scheme, a bright 

combination of charcoal, yellow 

and gray. In addition, 

those Precision Measuring 

Instruments exclusively 

branded Brown & Sharpe 

will also carry the new corporate 

colors. 

“The change in logo, 

along with the new colors, 

are two of the most 

distinctive changes in 

corporate identity the company 

has made in its 165-year history,” Genest 

said. “Our new logo is based on three 

fundamental elements of measurement: 

geometry, the decimal point, and the micron,” 

Genest continued. “The consolidation 

of brands and our bold new logo 

reposition the company’s image, focusing 

it on measurement which is our core 

strength, and gives us a solid, single image 

in the world metrology market.” o

Rexdale, Ontario 

Deco Automotive Stems Tide 

Of New Part Qualifications 

Based on contracts to date, Deco Automotive 

in Rexdale, Ontario, 

Canada, will double its manufacturing 

output before 1998 ends. However, the 

tidal wave of dimensional measurement 

work to qualify new parts and manufacturing 

processes started to build during 

the summer of 1997 and peaked during 

fall and early winter. 

To avoid being overwhelmed by critical 

inspection requirements and having 

to resort to independent measurement 


services, Deco invested in a new, highthroughput, 

large-table DCC coordinate 

measuring machine with advanced, 

graphics-coupled software. 

Deco Automotive, part of the Magna 

Group’s Cosma Division, supplies precision 

metal stampings and welded fabrications 

to automotive customers including 

GM, Ford, Chrysler and 

Toyota. Deco currently 

employs about 350 

people, and this will 

increase during the year when the new 

program launches currently underway 

shift into full production. 

The influx of new work is based on 

an expansion of Deco’s traditional business 

along with the addition of a new 

manufacturing system for hydroforming 

tubes.To accommodate hydroforming, 

New TYPHOON coordinate measuring machine combines 

high speed with its large measuring envelope, 

giving Deco Automotive the flexibility to inspect a 

variety of precision stampings. 

the company 

recently built an 

addition which 

increases manu- 

The TYPHOON is designed for shop floor inspection of thin-walled parts. 

A multi-sensor thermal compensation system counteracts machine deformations 

caused by thermal gradients. PC-DMIS for WINDOWS software makes 

part programming easy. 

facturing space from about 30,000 to 

about 70,000 square feet. 

Dan Browning, Quality Manager for 

Deco, said, “We knew we couldn’t keep 

pace with the mounting layout and inspection 

work with our nine-year-old 

CMM.”The company needed a CMM that 

would provide table space for significantly 

larger parts and assemblies, higher 

measurement throughput, and a fast 

turnaround on part programming and 

impromptu measurements. 

Browning’s department went shopping 

for this new CMM in the summer of 

1996.Within a matter of months the 

CMM evaluation team, headed by Chanh 

Luu, Deco Quality Technician, narrowed 

the field to two CMMs priced at approximately 

$300,000, then selected a highperformance, 

vertical spindle Brown & 

Sharpe DEA TYPHOON.The machine was 

equipped with PC-DMIS for WINDOWS 

graphics-coupled 

measurement software 

which uses CAD-based 

screen drawings of the actual part 

to facilitate rapid programming and measurement 

decisions. 

Short 

Learning Curve 

The TYPHOON was installed in 

March, 1997. Luu recalled that he was 

startled the first time he saw how fast the 

probe tip approached the part. He had visions 

of it going right through the table. 

He was also concerned that he had just 

six months to learn everything he could 

about this new high-throughput CMM. 

Installation and training had to go 

smoothly, or measurement would create 

major bottlenecks in the new program 

startups.Training was conducted by 

Brown & 

Sharpe during 

installation. 

Luu also attended another 

formal training class about 15 minutes 

away at the facilities of the local distributor. 

When the previous measurement machine 

was installed, Luu said that it took 

about a year to arrive at a comfortable 

working familiarity with the most frequently 

used programming and measurement 

techniques. With PC-DMIS for 

WINDOWS it took about three months. 

Luu identified a number of reasons for 

this dramatically reduced learning curve: 

1. Anyone familiar with WINDOWS will 

automatically understand the basic organization 

and operation of the operator 

interface. 

2. Most programming is accomplished 

by pointing on the part drawing or fill- 


27

ing in pop-up menus.The beginning 

programmer does not have to memorize 

codes, and programming a part is up to 

ten times faster. 

3.Working at the CMM in teach-andlearn, 

any part of any program can be 

freely edited without having to run the 

program from the beginning.This is an 

enormous time-saver. 

4.To measure a complete part or assembly, 

any number of points and features 

may be selected for measurement, once 

the part program has been written, so 

that one program substitutes for many. 

5. Once programs are available, 

it only takes operators a 

few hours to learn 

how to measure 

parts using the 

graphicscoupled 


measurement software. 

By the middle of June, Luu felt that 

his department was ready for the crunch. 

It came about six weeks later. 

Lots On The Table 

A hydroformed front engine cradle, 

radiator supports, control arms, lots of 

smaller parts and assemblies—these and 

more were beginning to test Deco’s measurement 

capacity by late in the summer. 

The system held up well because during 

the start-up phase Deco engineers had 

learned how to appropriately balance the 

work load between its smaller and slower 

old CMM and its large new high-throughput 

TYPHOON. 

Many of the new parts, especially the 

hydroformed ones, pressed or exceeded 

the work envelope of the older machine. 

These parts can weigh up to 45 pounds 

and they are typically loaded onto holding 

fixtures that weigh up to 600 or 700 

pounds.To measure critical part features 

it would take an hour or more just to 

load the fixture on the CMM. 

Then it would have to be 

removed again to 

make room for 

other measurement 

tasks. 

(left) TYPHOON’s large 

cross section permits 

the inspection of large 

assemblies, often in the 

same position as the 

assembly occupies in 

the finished product. 

(right) PC-DMIS for 

WINDOWS software is 

helping Deco engineers 

set up welding cells. 

Data gathering takes 

only a few minutes, and 

the information is used 

to adjust the welding 

process. 

The table of the TYPHOON is spacious 

enough to hold two large fixtures, 

and its low table (two feet) is at an ideal 

height for setting up large parts. Now, 

fixturing a large part, booting up the 

program and measuring critical features 

only take 10 or 15 minutes for the complete 

job. In October, Deco was busy 

qualifying large parts for new products 

for Chrysler and Ford.The two 

fixtures (4.5 x 4.5 ft. and 

4 x 6 ft.) stayed on the 

TYPHOON full-time. 

The Ford launch went 

into high gear and Deco 

was shipping 50 to 60 

pieces a day, each with accompanying 

measurement 

data. Chrysler was approaching 

full production, and a couple of 

smaller start-ups were underway.The 

TYPHOON was operating three shifts, 24 

hours a day.The older machine was used 

for small assemblies and laying out indi- 

The table of the 

TYPHOON is 

spacious enough to 

hold two large 

fixtures. 

vidual components, as many as 10 to 15 

for the larger assemblies. 

Everyday Workhorse 

During the next 12 months there 

will be other start-up situations, but 

none approaching the magnitude of 

these. Even so, Browning does not anticipate 

the workload on the 

TYPHOON decreasing sig- 

nificantly.There is always 

something else to do. 

For example, the CMM 

and graphics-coupled 

software have proven to 

be invaluable tools for 

setting up the welding cells 

downstream from the hydroforming 

system. 

“These are fairly large assemblies held 

to very tight tolerances so the weld cells 

need a lot of adjustment and tweaking,” 

Browning said. “Frequently an engineer 

will ask for an impromptu measurement 

of specific points. In the past we would 

have to request the XYZ coordinates from 

our CAD department.That would take 

hours or days. Now we can walk over to 

Luu, show him the points we want on the 

screen, and we have our data in minutes.” 

Browning added that the same flexibility 

is allowing Deco to respond immediately 

to requests for part data from 

customers. “If they are calling about a 

problem at an assembly plant, they are 

having the problem right now and they 

don’t want to wait a week or a day—they 

want answers back within the hour.With 

this software we can usually do that.” 

Browning concluded, “Without our 

new CMM and graphics-coupled software 

we certainly would have been 

forced to have other people lay out our 

parts for us.We are much happier being 

in control of our own destiny.” o 



29

Tech 

Tip 

easurement of a threaded hole on a coordinate 

measuring machine has traditionally been performed 

using several methods. For users of software such 

as MicroMeasure ® IV, TUTOR for WINDOWS and PC-DMIS for WINDOWS , the easiest choice is to simply ignore the 

thread and measure the hole as a circular feature. Another 

option is the use of flex plugs. QUINDOS ® M 

users have the 

ability to evaluate the entire thread by calculating features 

such as pitch, lead, and thread profile. 

This Tech Tip will focus on the majority of CMM users who 

do not have access to high level evaluation tools, and are 

only interested in thread location. The method discussed is 

that of “walking” the probe along the thread pitch. 

Ignoring the thread pitch has obvious accuracy problems, 

but may be acceptable if the positional tolerance is fairly 

open. The use of flex plugs, while being accurate, requires 

the operator to insert these plugs into all threaded holes before 

the part is inspected. Walking the probe along the thread 

pitch is more accurate than ignoring the thread, but requires 

no additional operator intervention. 

Measuring a Threaded 

Hole the Easy Way 

by Greg Privette 

Applications Engineer 


A cross section of a 

threaded hole, and the 

corresponding point locations. 

In performing the calculations to determine how to adjust 

the depth, the thread pitch and number of points are the only 

parameters needed. A 20 pitch thread using four points is 

used for an example: 

A 20 pitch thread has 20 threads per inch, or .05 (1/20) 

inches per thread. Therefore, to measure one revolution on the 

thread, the probe must be dropped .0125 (.05/4) inches per 

point. Remember, these points must be equally spaced for this 

to be valid. 

Following is a generic subroutine for MicroMeasure IV that 

measures a threaded hole in the XY reference plane. 

THREAD =SUBROUTINE/START; 

!$1 = NAME OF NEW CIRCLE 

!$2 = LOCATION IN X DIR. 

!$3 = LOCATION IN Y DIR. 

!$4 = LOCATION IN Z DIR. 

!$5 = DIAMETER 

!$6 = THREAD PITCH (ENGLISH) 

!THIS SUB ALWAYS USES FOUR HITS 

MOVE/TO;$2,$3,$4+.5 

WALK = 1/($6 *4) 

$1 =GEOM/CIR;XYPL 

MEASURE/;$2-$5/2,$3,$4,-1,0,0,0 

MEASURE/;$2,$3+$5/2,$4-WALK,0,1,0,0 

MEASURE/;$2+$5/2,$3,$4-2*WALK,-1,0,0,0 

MEASURE/;$2,$3-$5/2,$4-3*WALK,0,-1,0,0 

DONE/; 

MOVE/TO;$2,$3,$4+.5 

SUBROUTINE/END; 



31

Can reverse engineering answer your 

design and prototyping needs? 

by Nitin K. Shankar 

Reverse engineering, once considered 

as something practiced by 

those who lack original concepts, has 

now become an engineering science. 

Japanese success in new products has 

led to reverse engineering being considered 

as a design process. Many American 

engineering colleges have courses in reverse 

engineering to focus on redesign, 

instead of original design, as a problem 

solving approach. Even the automobile 

industry uses a variant design methodology, 

referred to as Direct Engineering, to 

replace more general original design 

methods. 

Originally the Japanese used reverse 

engineering to improve on competitors’ 

products and, thus, avoid original design 


effort.The “redesign” process was initiated 

by observing and testing a product. 

Thereafter, it was disassembled and the 

individual components were analyzed in 

terms of their form, function, assembly 

Advanced metrology software allows users to align 

dimensional data collected by a CMM to a CAD 

model, with a graphic representation of error. 

tolerances, and manufacturing process. 

The intent of this process step was to 

fully understand the execution of a product. 

Based on this understanding, an improved 

product was evolved, either at the 

subsystem (adaptive) or component 

(variant) level. 

In recent years, Americans and Europeans 

have “reverse engineered” the re- 

verse engineering process and developed 

powerful tools to further compress development 

cycles. 

Such tools are relevant for industries 

in those countries where production en- 

gineers are faced with the problem of reproducing 

parts directly from samples. 

Making spares for obsolete equipment, 

fabricating copies of old tooling, or redesigning 

a foreign licensed product to 

come up with a new look are examples of 

how reverse engineering can be successfully 

employed. 

Powerful expert software is giving 

new meaning to reverse engineering. 

Computers can now be used to capture 

the geometry of a part, visualize it in 3D 

form, carry out design changes, test it for 

engineering performance and simulate 

its manufacturing and inspection cycle. 

In effect, most of the reverse engineering 

process can be carried out without actually 

making a prototype. 

One approach is to use a coordinate 

measuring machine to probe the surface 

of the part to be copied.The digital data 

captured can then be processed by 

CAD/CAM software to come up with a 

visual representation of the part as well as 

the CNC program needed to machine it. 

Many companies already have the two 

basic tools needed for reverse engineering, 

a coordinate measuring machine 

(CMM) and computer-assisted design 

(CAD) software.Yet, few companies have 

the right CMM/CAD interface for the 

kind of reverse engineering design capabilities 

needed in today’s industrial environment. 

Selecting The 

Right Hardware 

As far as using a CMM for digitizing 

a part is concerned, the focus should be 

on throughput. Depending on the application, 

CMM manufacturers offer either 

single-point or scanning-probe heads. 

The single-point trigger probe, 

clearly the dominant technology used in 

entry-level to mid-range CMMs, functions 

by contacting individual points on 

a workpiece. Although single-point 

probing is common, the technique can 

create significant variation in measuring 

results due to dispersion of probe points 

on the workpiece surface. Scanning 

CMMs make use of control technology to 

continuously scan along the contour of a 

workpiece surface, collecting hundreds 

or even thousands of independent probe 

points to define a part's true geometry. 

While a CMM’s base accuracy is important, 

users should know that a true 

representation of the part can be achieved 

by inspecting more points per workpiece. 

Software for reverse engineering applications should 

let the user visualize the part in 3D perspective like 

this PC-DMIS for WINDOWS software routine. 

Acquiring a larger number of data points 

(e.g. 400 points vs. 4 points for a diameter) 

will ensure higher accuracy because 

the quality of calculated diameter and position 

inspections is directly related to the 

number of probe points collected. 

A CMM's ability to reposition and repeat 

precise probing locations is influenced 

by the speed at which the system is 

driven, which also influences the quality 

of calculated-measuring results.The more 

points gathered, the greater the repeatability 

of results. Many factors can determine 

the measuring speed of a CMM, including 

acceleration, maximum velocity, 


33

probing speed, probing method (singlepoint 

or scanning), and the computation 

power of the CMM's software.Yet, throughput 

rather than speed is essential for reducing 

reverse engineering time cycles.There 

are CMMs which get more throughput 

via a little intelligence. Computers help 

them to follow an optimal path, avoid obstacles, 

and speed up between 

probing points. 

In the case of reverse 

engineering applications, 

throughput includes the 

time taken to probe the 

original sample part, write 

the inspection program for 

the reverse engineered part, 

measure this part, and compute 

the results accurately. 

Off-line part programming 

can enable an average-speed 

CMM to have an acceptable 

total throughput time. 

Speeding Up 

The Process 

Companies can often save weeks of 

development time by scanning a sample 

on a CMM and then “reverse engineering” 

surfaces from the point data instead 

of modeling surfaces directly on a CAD 

system.The geometric data from the 

CMM will be generated in industry-standard 

formats such as IGES,VDA-FS, ISO 

G-Code, DXF and delimited ASCII and 

CAD, CAM; and analysis packages support 

at least one of these formats. 

Once the digitized image is captured, 

users still need the right CAD software to 

speed up the reverse engineering process. 

Ideally, CAD software should be equipped to: 

• Import geometric data of virtually 

any format. 

• Work with point data, often on the 

order of several million data points. 

• Work with contoured surfaces from 

creation through modification and 

analysis. 

• Output geometry to downstream 

processes. 

• Analyze geometry to evaluate form 

integrity with the sample. 


Most important, the software should 

allow the user to visualize the part in a 

3D perspective. A 3D model fully defines 

the shape of the part, eliminating the 

need for multiple view projection. Designers 

can rework surface contours, and 

toolmakers can then machine parts from 

the electronic mockups. 

Data point cloud from an automotive air bag cover. 

The cloud was converted into a curve network and a 

surface model. 

The idea is that the software should 

accelerate the reverse engineering time 

cycle by: 

• Improving the quality of surfaces by 

creating smooth, continuous curve 

networks. 

• Cutting the time needed to prepare 

engineering documentation. 

• Eliminating the need for prototypes. 

• Increasing product quality with a 

variety of analysis tools. 

Rapid Prototyping 

Of the several CAD packages available, 

mold makers may prefer Imageware’s 

Surfacer which generates high quality 

curve and surface geometry from digitized 

3D point data. “Point cloud” data 

collected by probing can be visualized on 

the computer screen in various forms in 

order to construct surfaces. 

The process of building and verifying 

production tooling is time-consuming 

and expensive. Surfacer helps streamline 

this critical process by providing quick 

and complete verification of the most 

complex, free-form shapes. Users can 

precisely align scan data with CAD 

geometry to evaluate the differences between 

sample and engineered 

parts.Variations can 

be calculated and displayed 

as color-coded plots, clearly 

illustrating 100 percent 

geometric inspection. 

Surfacer’s Rapid Prototyping 

Module (RPM) can 

quickly produce prototypes 

from digitized data or surface 

geometry from other 

systems.This shortens the 

production cycle between 

digitizing physical prototypes, 

creating CAD models, 

then finally generating 

prototypes. A new "Rapid 

Tooling" option to RPM 

dramatically improves the use of rapid 

prototyping technology for creating prototype 

tooling. 

Working In 3D 

Other CAD packages may be more 

suited for product re-engineering. One 

CAD/CAM solution which might become 

the industry standard is CATIA ® . 

Developed by Dassault Systèmes of 

France, CATIA enables designers and engineers 

to work simultaneously on design 

problems and manufacturing details 

without actually building prototypes. Designers 

are able to create “virtual prototypes” 

to determine which one would 

best meet the needs of the real world. 

The idea is to do more work on simulating 

manufacturing techniques before actually 

making the part on the machine. 

The CATIA/CADAM system provides 

products particularly suited for reverse 

engineering: 

• A bi-directional bridge for moving 

data back and forth between CATIA 

and CADAM environments. 

• An interface can upload or download 

a model to another CAD/CAM 

system. 

• An interface product which translates 

data between the CATIA system 

and other CAD/CAM/CAE systems 

using the Initial Graphics Exchange 

Specification (IGES) neutral format. 

• A 3D functional dimensioning and 

tolerancing product which facilitates 

the specification of tolerances 

for exact solid models and adheres 

to international standards for tolerance 

rules and syntaxes. 

• Downstream applications which can 

use the resulting model 

for further design, analysis, 

manufacturing, and 

other operations. 

• A feature-based design 

product that enhances the 

designer’s ability to create 

prismatic parts by incorporating 

features such as 

a single process for creating 

a family of parts or a 

design for manufacturing. 

• A 2D/3D integration 

product that fully integrates 

the 2D and 3D 

environments.This product 

enables designers and 

drafters to create projections 

and planar sections from 3D 

geometry for 2D drawings. 

Making Quality 

Part Of The Process 

Once the part is made, it has to be inspected. 

If different brands of CMMs are 

being used, an inspection package that 

works to an open standard is a must. 

One such program is PC-DMIS ,a 

PC-based software package that works 

within the WINDOWS operating system. 

The software provides a bi-directional 

link between the CMM and the CAD software 

that enables the CAD model to be 

used to scan the workpiece. In effect, the 

CMM’s direct computer control (DCC) is 

driven by PC-DMIS and the measured re- 

sults are compared with the CAD model. 

Another package is VW-Gedas’ audimess 

which creates programs in the 

DMIS (Dimensional Measuring Interface 

Standard) format, a standard for exchanging 

data between CMM software solutions 

and CMMs. Such a standard makes the 

program “CMM-independent”. 

The audimess system operates within 

CATIA and uses CATIA data to create, 

modify and simulate the inspection program. 

Since the programming is also 

done off-line, it can be modified on the 

screen at any time.This reduces the costs 

of inspection programming as well as 

enabling CMMs to be used for actual inspection 

tasks only. 

Working on the CAD model, the user 

aligns the part, determines the probe 

path and selects the features to be inspected.Then 

audimess generates the 

DMIS program which is interpreted by a 

post-processor to convert the program 

for the required CMM. 

The whole program created by the 

audimess user can be simulated and 

graphically shown on the monitor 

screen.The starting point of simulation 

has to be selected and the probe will 

move along the programmed path on the 

screen. Simultaneously, a small window 

shows the actual DMIS code. 

Currently audimess runs on Silicon 

Graphic workstations, IBM RS/6000 or 

mainframes running MVS or VM. 

Transition From 

2D To 3D 

Dimensional data and the model constructed from 

it are compared. Combining CMMs with modeling 

software offers a fast, accurate means of reverse 

engineering complex shapes. 

The availability of all the above software 

should be enough to convince any 

user about the advantages to be obtained 

through a CAD/CMM systems interface. 

The key lies in making the transition 

from old-fashioned 2D CAD to the latest 

3D techniques. Here, 

engineering management 

has to focus on 

the correct application 

of 3D design to 

speed up reverse engineering 

processes. 

Apart from training, 

the change from 

2D to 3D requires the 

creation of new standards 

for product and 

part engineering documentation.This 

can 

be easily justified, 

given the strategic importance 

of building 

reverse engineering 

skills in today’s competitive 

environment. 

Finally, keep reverse 

engineering in mind 

when planning the 

next CAD or CMM investment. o 

Nitin Shankar is an electronics engineer and 

Brown & Sharpe’s Area Manager in India. He 

is a frequent contributor to a number of trade 

and technical magazines. 



35

Product 

Profile 

The trend in quality control over the 

past few years has been to integrate 

inspection into the production operation. 

The benefit is clear. Dimensional data can 

be used to prevent machine tools from 

producing out-of-tolerance parts, and the 

closer the inspection operation is to production, 

the more efficient it is for machine 

operators to control the variables 

of the manufacturing process. 

Inspection close to production also 

brings a number of benefits to the inspection 

process itself, including reduced 

time and cost to move the parts, the real 

time feedback of dimensional data for inline 

process control, and a common environment 

for tooling and inspection 

where part temperature stabilization is 

often unnecessary. 

Putting coordinate measuring machines 

on the shop floor, however, has always 

been a challenge for CMM manufacturers.The 

technological problem is to 

guarantee a high-accuracy performance. 

The most dramatic problem is temperature, 

specifically temperature shifts compared 

to the calibration temperature, and 

temperature gradients in time and space. 

It is not unusual to find extreme 

temperature conditions on the shop 

floor.These conditions can be caused by 

such common occurrences as turning 

down the heat over the weekend, sunroofs, 

overheating due to the proximity 

of machine tools to inspection equipment, 

and any number of other conditions 

that may be unique to a particular 

shop. 

Both the coordinate measuring machine 

and the workpiece are affected by 


There’s progress in the control of 

temperature effects on measurement: 

A.C.T.I.V. Technology 

On The Shop Floor 

by Marco Pelissero 

SCIROCCO ACTIV is a new coordinate measuring machine and the first to incorporate advanced 

Adaptive Compensation of Temperature Induced Variations thermal compensation technology. 

these thermal conditions, and overcoming 

them is the focus of continuing research 

into CMM behavior. Brown & 

Sharpe has been studying this problem 

for several years, through kinematic and 

dynamic machine simulation with finite 

element analysis, tests in conditioned 

rooms, and collaboration with customers.The 

result of two years of research 

is the introduction of A.C.T.I.V. 

technology (Adaptive Compensation 

of Temperature Induced Variations), 

that is being applied to the shop floor 

CMM line. 

To better understand the A.C.T.I.V. 

technology, it is important to understand 

how a typical shop floor environment affects 

the structure of a CMM. 

The Thermal 

Problem 

Shop floor thermal 

phenomena is composed 

of a linear problem, thermal 

expansion, and a nonlinear 

problem, thermal distortion. 

Thermal expansion does not generate 

distortion problems.The measuring 

machine’s beams and scales expand and 

contract with temperature changes.This 

generates a scaling error, but that error 

can be easily corrected by applying compensating 

factors to each of the system’s 

three axes. 

Thermal distortion is caused by temperature 

gradients in space. For example 

a temperature gradient of 1°C/m causes 

bending on a 2m long granite table of 10 

µrad (Figure 1). 

This is a typical bending error on a 

granite CMM table. It is not difficult to 

see that a similar distortion increases the 

error formula of the machine by about 

5µm per meter of the measured part in a 

1 meter high CMM. Experience shows 

that the gradient inside the granite can 

be 2 to 3 times higher, due to the different 

thermal exchange between the top 

and bottom of the table. As a consequence, 

the error increases proportionally 

(Figure 2). 

A.C.T.I.V. 

Technology 

The A.C.T.I.V. technology compensates 

both types of errors with a mix of 

hardware and software solutions that include 

a complete web of up to 32 thermal 

sensors placed in critical points of 

the machine that feed a complex algorithm 

with a huge amount of data in 

real time. 

The idea is that the sensors read the 

temperature on the structure of the ma- 

The 

A.C.T.I.V. 

technology compensates 

errors with 

a mix of hardware 

and software 

solutions. 

chine and the algorithm can extrapolate 

expansion and distortion values from this 

data.Through these values, the software 

compensates each measured point X, 

Y, and Z, so that the influence of 

the temperature is almost 

cancelled over a wide 

range. 

The Results 

The machine becomes 

insensitive to temperature 

variations, spatial temperature 

gradients, and temporal temperature 

gradients.The SCIROCCO ACTIV ® 

accuracy specifications, for instance, 

E=U3=3.5+5L/100 are guaranteed in a 

temperature range of 18 to 28°C (64 to 

82°F) with a temporal gradient of 

10°C/day (18°F/day) and 1°C/m 

(1.8°F/m). (E is the new ISO volumetric 

accuracy standard and is equivalent to 

VDI/VDE U3.) The same technology 

has been applied with extremely good 

results to other shop floor CMMs, 

TYPHOON SF and BRAVO NT. 

The experimental data (Figure 2) 

fully confirm these theories.These results 

mean that on the shop floor, dimensional 

inspection can be performed with an accuracy 

comparable to that of a lab. o 

Marco Pelissero, a Brown & Sharpe DEA 

Product Manager, is a former researcher in 

physics at the Polytecnico of Turin, Italy. 


Figure 1. Typical bending error on a granite CMM table. 

Figure 2. Thermal compensation test on a bridge machine, Y axis. 

(measuring of Zerodur gauge with L=700 mm) 


37

Multifunction CMM systems 

speed up the design of 

free surface car bodies 

The design and production of car 

bodies currently rely on 3D surface 

models of the parts.These models 

are developed either mathematically 

on CAD workstations, physically in a 

stylist’s studio, or in a technician’s lab- 

oratory. Expensive iterations on models 

are always needed to refine part surfaces 

and transform the stylist’s concept into 

an efficiently producible product. 


Left: Laser scanning 

probes can be fitted to 

CMMs, giving them the 

ability to digitize complex 

shapes for fast and 

accurate model making. 

Above: The light milling 

function available on a 

Brown & Sharpe DEA 

gantry CMM transforms 

it into a machine tool for 

constructing surfaces on 

soft materials. 

That is the case of 

styling driven designs, 

where the part 

shape is determined by 

a stylist working in clay 

or plastics; of experiment 

driven designs, where a prototype is 

modified by hand by engineers that tune 

its functional efficiency; and of manufacturing-driven 

part redesign, where the final 

shape of the component is deter- 

mined by changes made to its tooling 

with the objective of improving part 

quality or production efficiency. In all 

cases, a closer interaction between stylist 

and model maker can help save 

weeks of development time. 

Gantry CMMs, equipped with suitable 

software and accessories, are excellent 

tools to support style model design 

activities and production engineering 

operations, as well as to improve die and 

mold design and manufacturing for large 

contoured parts, such as car bodies and 

subassemblies.The huge size of their 

measuring envelopes, plus their open 

construction, allows easy handling of 

very large workpieces. In addition, owing 

to the rigidity of their structure, these 

machines can also hold large head and 

probe assemblies, as well as powerful 3 

and 5-axis milling heads, without compromising 

their high measuring accuracy. 

Scanning Software 

Adds Versatility 

by Marco Manganelli 

Gantry machines can be equipped 

with easy-to-use continuous path scanning 

software that supports tactile and 

laser scanning probes for fast and accurate 

model digitizing, and for producing 

part programs to control NC milling machines.The 

system can efficiently operate 

With their ability to quickly capture dimensional data from 3D surfaces, gantry CMMs like this Brown & Sharpe DEA 

DELTA give automobile manufacturers the flexibility to make rapid design changes. 

unattended. Automatic scanning routines 

react to surface changes, repositioning 

the machine or head to keep the probe in 

contact with the workpiece, even with 

complex contoured parts. Computer compensation 

of the machine geometry and 

probe deflection guarantees maximum 

scanning accuracy. 

The surface data points generated by 

the system can be directly imported into 

a CAD workstation to create a mathematical 

representation of the part geometry. 

This technology is extremely useful when 

an old part is available, but no CAD data 

is available, or when manufactured parts 

must be created from physical prototypes. 

The surface data points may also be postprocessed 

by the CMM computer to produce 

a cutter path for all machining 

passes, from rough cutting to finishing, 

for efficient model copying. Easy-to-use 

reverse engineering functions simplify 

the process of modifying the style model 

after engineering or manufacturing 

changes on the final part.These functions 

allow the generation of CAD/CAM data 

directly from the part scanning files. In a 

typical reverse engineering application, a 

model of a part may have been 

initially machined from a 

CAD file and later modi- 

fied by hand to meet 

functional or manufacturing 

requirements. By 

scanning the modified 

areas of the model, the 

operator can create useful 

data to embody these 

changes in the original part 

database. Direct model copying functions 

for die and mold making are supported 

by advanced software features that 

allow process optimization, saving time 

and money.These functions include cutter 

radius compensation, automatic 

model alignment, and male/female conversion. 

A powerful light milling function 

transforms the gantry CMM into an NC 

milling machine to build complex sur- 

Gantry CMMs…are 

excellent tools to 

support style model 

design activities… 

faces on soft materials, such as clay, polystyrene, 

epoxy, and aluminum.This advanced 

technology, combined with the 

scanning capabilities, provides a 

global solution to styling model 

design and development, as 

well as die and mold making.The 

light milling function 

proves its validity in 

the creation of 3D physical 

models and prototypes 

from CAD data files to support 

the stylist’s work and to 

validate die addendums and modifications 

prior to cutting metal, thus eliminating 

the need for expensive iterations 

on prototypes. 

Reducing Design Time 

at Peugeot 

The Advanced Styling Department of 

PSA-Peugeot Citröen, a major European 

car manufacturer, has approached the 

problem of reducing the art-to-part cycle 


39

for car bodies by adopting a multifunction 

digitizing/measuring/milling system 

for styling applications.The objective 

was to take advantage of the latest CMM 

technology to cut months off product development 

time, while improving the 

quality of complex, multisurface models. 

In 1995, a project was started for the 

acquisition of a floor-level open construction 

CMM, with a measuring envelope 

large enough to accept the model of 

an entire body.The machine had to 

be supplied with advanced 

non-contact scanning capabilities, 

and with powerful 

functions for fast, 

productive model 

milling. The CMM had 

also to perform high accuracy, 

point-to-point inspection 

operations on 

dies, models, and parts. 

After a thorough analysis of the possible 

solutions offered by major CMM 

suppliers, Peugeot selected a powerful 

multipurpose styling system. 


…reverse 

engineering functions 

simplify the 

process of modifying 

the style 

model… 

The key component of this system is a 

robust Brown & Sharpe DEA DELTA SP, a 

large, high-performance gantry CMM 

with a measuring envelope of 6350 mm 

by 2540 mm by 1830 mm, that, owing 

to its flexibility of operation, excels in the 

high-accuracy inspection of large pieces, 

in scanning surfaces of large contoured 

parts, and in milling light materials. 

The system configuration includes 

an analog scanning probe for the continuous 

digitizing of unknown 3D 

free-form shapes; a continuous 

non-contact laser probe for 

accurate scanning operations 

on soft materials; an 

electronic touch-trigger 

probe for the precise tactile 

measurement of geometric 

dimensions and for 

performing stitch scanning 

operations on pre-defined 

shapes; and a point-to-point laser 

probe. All probes are held on a two-axis 

indexable head that properly orients 

them in space for accurate surface mea- 

Versatile gantry coordinate measuring machines can support critical steps in automotive body manufacturing, including 

style model design activities, production engineering, die and mold design, and inspection of sheet metal assemblies. 

Style model 

creation 

Design 

Physical part 

model generation 

• Light milling 

• Cad model generation 

and verification 

• Tool Path generation 

surement.The machining functions are 

supported by a variable speed, 1500 W 

milling head, mounted on a sturdy 

two-axis manual head that allows setting 

the best cutter attitudes to machine 

all model surfaces. DELTA SP is equipped 

with TUTOR for WINDOWS measurement 

software, and with continuous 

path scanning and milling software 

options. It is controlled by an industrial 

grade shop-hardened controller that 

complies with most existing industrial 

standards. 

Interactive Design 

And Modeling 

The company operates in an integrated 

process environment with computer 

assisted design and engineering. 

The style model of the car is first developed 

in a CAD/CAM/CAE environment, 

where a part geometry database is created.The 

computer controlled DELTA SP 

is then used for milling on clay a grid of 

profiles of the style model, from the CAD 

Die & molds 

manufacturing 

data file.The physical model is then 

handworked by the modelist to complete 

and refine the shape of one side of the 

vehicle, under the direction of 

the stylist.This is an interactive 

design/modeling 

Scanning, milling 

and verifying can 

be performed in 

sequence… 

activity that ensures 

obtaining on the clay 

model exactly what 

the stylist wants.The 

CMM is then used to 

scan the modified model 

and reverse engineer its surfaces 

from the point data.The 

complete clay model of the body is obtained 

by milling its second symmetric 

half, using the system’s powerful mirroring 

functions. 

Critical body details, such as window 

drops and door joints, are subsequently 

added to the clay model by milling their 

CAD geometrics.This first physical 

model undergoes a series of experimentations 

in the wind tunnel, and gets reshaped 

and streamlined to optimize its 

aerodynamic behavior.The contours of 

• Manual or automatic 

scribing operations 

• Dimensional inspection of 

dies/molds with respect to 

their nominal CAD geometry 

Manufacturing 

the final clay model are then completely 

scanned and downloaded to the CAD/CAM 

system to fully document its shape, and a 

tape is created to cut copies of the 

body and its details.These 

copies are verified by check- 

ing their critical dimensions 

in point-to-point mode on 

the DELTA SP, using both 

tactile and non-contact 

probing techniques.The 

forms of the final model are 

also sent to subcontractors and to 

the company’s engineering departments 

for the production of the dies. 

As reported by the customer, some 

major advantages obtained from using 

the same system to mill, digitize and validate 

the style model are: 

• Reduction in the iterative styling/ 

modeling process: the three functions—scanning, 

milling, verifying—can 

be performed in sequence, 

eliminating unproductive, time-consuming 

operations such as model 

transportation and multiple setups. 

Stamping of 

final parts 

• Higher design efficiency: all changes 

to the CAD model can be transferred 

in real time to the clay model, and vice 

versa. 

• Safer model handling: the delicate clay 

models do not risk damage during 

transportation. 

• A larger design autonomy: the styling 

studio acquires all the tools to develop 

and control the full body design 

process. 

• More creative design development, supported 

by a closer interaction between 

stylist and modelist. o 

Marco Manganelli, a former Brown & Sharpe 

DEA Marketing Manager, is mfg.’s European 

correspondent. 


• Flexible fixturing configuration 

• Dimensional inspection of parts 

with respect to their nominal 

CAD geometry 

• Statistical process control 


41

Product 

Profile 

The Brown & Sharpe DEA VENTO R-SF 

(Shop Floor) is a new high-speed, 

high-accuracy direct computer control 

horizontal arm measuring machine.This 

fully temperature compensated measuring 

machine is built to perform dimensional 

inspection of thin-walled parts such as automobile 

bodies and subassemblies, dimensional 

inspection of prismatic parts, 

automatic and manual verification of freeform 

surfaces, continuous scanning operations 

for die and mold copying, and marking 

out operations. 

VENTO R-SF has a measuring range 

of X-axis 3000 to 12000 mm,Y-axis 

1300 to 1500 mm, and Z-axis 1800 to 

2400 mm with volumetric measuring 

accuracies starting from: 25+22L/1000 

µm. Dual opposing machines can work 

together to cover larger measuring areas. 

The VENTO R-SF is available in a 

floor-mounted runway-type series. Column/arm 

modules can be used without 

a surface plate. 

All models are motor driven and 

equipped with disengageable drives that allow 

quick transitions from complete handsoff 

DCC inspection to fully interactive 

manual inspection.The open-sided design 

allows easy access to parts and facilitates 

automatic loading/unloading operations. 

The machine column rides on nonwearing, 

self-cleaning magnetically preloaded 

air bearings.The Y and Z axes ride 

on pre-stressed roller bearings and precision-ground, 

inductively hardened bearing 

surfaces. All axes are covered with a 

machine tool-like bellows to protect 

them from shop contaminants. 

VENTO R-SF has been designed for 

maximum operator protection and com- 


New Flexible VENTO 

Measures Contoured 

And Prismatic Parts 

plies with international 

industry safety standards.The 

new horizontal 

machine comes 

with a wide variety of 

electronic touch trigger 

and analog probes, 

heads, automatic probe 

changers, and the CW 

43 servo wrist to facilitate 

the inspection of 

sheet metal components. 

VENTO R-SF can be 

equipped with PC-DMIS 

for WINDOWS geometric 

measurement software.This 

powerful, 

operator-friendly software system includes 

advanced routines for sheet metal 

gaging, real time SPC, free-form surface 

reverse engineering, and inspection.The 

machine can also be equipped with 

CHORUS software. CHORUS has a 

DMIS-based operator interface incorporating 

icons for easy, point-and-click selection 

of a number of powerful integrated 

functions, ranging from basic 

dimensional measurement to surface 

generation and analysis. It offers a unique 

VENTO R-SF is a fully temperature compensated measuring machine designed 

to provide accurate dimensional measurements in the shop environment. 

10-axis control capability within a single 

part program for efficient multi-arm inspection 

cell management. 

Many standard accessories are available 

with the VENTO R-SF line, including 

scribing heads and tools.VENTO R-SF 

can also be supplied with the patented 

FIVE U-nique manual flexible fixturing 

system which allows program-driven 

configuration of very accurate part holding 

fixtures. o 



Back 

Page 

What’s in a Logo? 

Changing logos is trendy. Too often, the new logo 

is just that…fashion. With brand preference critical 

to commercial success, when a change is needed, it 

must be distinctive, instructive…and rise above the 

norm, clutter, fashion. It has to give the viewer a 

glimpse of the company’s culture, direction, strategy 

and strengths. 

Our new logo is based on the three fundamental 

elements of measurement…geometry, decimal point 

and micron. 

Geometry, the primary science of measurement, 

defines the basic geometric shapes. From the point, 

line, plane, circle, sphere, cylinder, and cone, all other 

shapes are derived. Our business is to precisely measure 

manufactured parts made from combinations of these 

geometric shapes, as is the new logo. 

The decimal point is the primary geometric element, 

separating whole numbers from fractions, coarse 

from fine, inaccurate from accurate, visible from invisible. 

Our business is to the precise side of the decimal 

point, as is the new logo. 

The micron is the primary unit of measure, differentiating 

between good and bad parts. Being able to 

measure “to a micron” determines the success of an 

increasing number of manufacturers. Our business 

splits the micron, providing the highest level of measuring 

precision, as does the logo. 

That’s what’s in our new logo…what’s in yours? 

David H. Genest 

Director of Marketing 

and Corporate Communications

shaping the future of metrology - Brown & Sharpe

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