Precision measurements have long been a necessity within manufacturing processes, with the level of precision increasing constantly in line with requirements of smaller parts and advancing technologies. The use of lasers within these industries has snowballed due to the ability to take measurements without slowing or stopping production lines and allowing surfaces such as glass to be measured with no marring to the surface as well as resolving sterilization issues in medical applications.
Laser Triangulation units, as recently launched by Solartron Metrology, provide highly accurate readings whilst maintaining a high resolution and speed, lending themselves to in-process applications during manufacturing cycles. The excellent repeatability and linearity ensures dependable readings, providing cost-efficiencies through reduced scrap and faster time to completion.
The ability to take measurements without any contact with the target material has obvious applications within the electronics industries, where glass and components are getting thinner and more delicate with each technological advance, raising fears of surface deformation and blemishing. Accurate thickness measurements ensure the specifications of today’s smart technologies are met with little waste. As component parts rise and comparative selling prices drop, reducing costs is becoming more important than ever, best achieved by aiming to eliminate scrap and increase the speed of the manufacturing process. Using systems designed for taking readings in-process with the assurance of reliability and accuracy, an element of cost and risk is reduced. Alongside this, height and position measurements such as the stature of surface boards, the thickness of a semi-conductor wafer and part position inspection, make such units invaluable to electronics manufacturers.
The assembly of products such as cars and robotics require exact parts and systems to ensure of a smooth construction, ensuring manufacturing efficiencies are met. Applications such as flatness or warpage of a panel or sheeting, thickness or width determination of materials and diameter measurements of rounded parts are widespread within such industries. Further applications in the automotive industries include tread depth measurement of tyres, exhaust system checks under vibration conditions, shape certainty of aluminium rims and diameter measurement of crank shafts.
Comparable laser applications can be found within the aerospace and marine industries, utilising the ability to take position and thickness/diameter measurements. With such large components the use of scanning over wider areas both speeds up the production line and means that just one or few lasers can do the work of a vast amount of traditional probes.
During the manufacture of medical equipment and bionics, the use of non-contact measurement devices is vital to ensure the integrity and sterility of the end product, providing the assurance of no interference during production. Similarly, food manufacturers taking measurements, such as the height of products within cans, cannot use traditional gauging probes due to the likelihood of contamination. This method of height measurement can also be applied to products on a production line, alongside part position certainty, such as caps.
As the number of applications for laser triangulation units increases, advances in this technology and corresponding systems and solutions has provided manufacturers with more choice than ever before. Solartron Metrology’s Orbit® Network provides a revolutionary solution, integrating up to 30 lasers and/or probes, lending itself to a multitude of applications. The Orbit® Network is a fully formed digital measurement system that makes it simple and easy to interconnect high accuracy Solartron instruments and other sensors to any computer, network or PLC. The calibrated system consists of modules for each probe or laser to allow connection along a DIN rail.
The Orbit® LT system can also be used as a stand-alone, offering the same range of outputs alongside uncompromising accuracy and quality. Boasting a 15mm range with a 45mm offset, the ability the be calibrated to 0.1% Full Scale Accuracy, 2µm repeatability and 1µm resolution, the Orbit® LT provides users with a cost-effective solution for linear measurement applications. With the highest number of outputs on the market (Modbus, RS232 or RS485 Serial, USB, Ethernet TCP, Discrete NPN, PNP and Logic) installation becomes easier and simpler for users, creating time and personnel efficiencies.
Solartron Metrology is a world leader in electronic instruments used in ultra precision manufacturing and a unit of AMETEK, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices.
www.solartronmetrology.com 01243 833 333
