shaping the future of metrology - Brown & Sharpe

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
28 mfg. Shaping the Future of Metrology
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
Circle 708 on the READER SERVICE CARD
mfg. The Brown & Sharpe Publication of Precision Manufacturing
29