shaping the future of metrology - Brown & Sharpe

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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 12 mfg. Shaping the Future of Metrology 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 Circle 704 on the READER SERVICE CARD mfg. The Brown & Sharpe Publication of Precision Manufacturing 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- 14 mfg. Shaping the Future of Metrology Brown & Sharpe 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 Circle 705 on the READER SERVICE CARD
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