New Addition to Prototyping Service Offers 2 Micron Accuracy
Shearline Engineering has invested in two new Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs) to ensure stringent accuracy both at the intermediate stages of manufacture, and in finished products. It is also offering the facility as part of its prototyping service, as the equipment supports re-engineering of existing products or the generation of drawings after prototype acceptance.
Quality manager Don Reid explains that the Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex machines give Shearline the ability to carry out highly intricate inspections of engineered components at all stages of the manufacturing process. This enables refinement of processes and improvement of tooling during manufacture, further increasing efficiency and the consistency of output.
“The bigger of our two new CMMs is a very sophisticated device and can measure very large items – such as with dimensions up to 1.2m x 2m and up to a metre in height,” he said.
The new equipment will not only accelerate the quality assurance process but also makes it possible to measure free-form surfaces such as aircraft engine turbine blades which do not have a regular prismatic shape. These can be inspected and measured, and results compared with CAD models.
