Quality gives customer confidence

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Coordinate measuring machines at WLF Precision Engineering give greater inspection flexibility and can be used by production staff as well as quality inspectors.

The two LK Metrology machines have been supplied with LK Launchpad, an icon-driven, touch-screen operator menu, and a network of viewing screens and tablets. The simplified operator menu lists all the available inspection programs and the exact position the part should be placed on the machine table for inspection, giving operators the confidence to perform measurement tasks in just a few clicks.

It greatly enhances flexibility and opens up the system for use by non-specialist CMM operators. Measured results and automatically generated reports may be shared between screens, tablets and other networked devices for easy access and viewing from any location.

WLR aims to cover the entire production process in its contract manufacturing service, with a proportion of the value of each part lying in rigorous metrology, often involving 100% inspection.

Contracts are received mainly from the oil & gas, pharmaceutical, medical, laboratory and scientific instrumentation industries, which place great reliance on the accuracy and consistency of parts delivered.

The company's sales manager Tom Parr said, "The increasing confidence that our customers have in the accuracy and consistency of components they receive from us has resulted in our winning considerably more business in virtually every sector that we serve."

Installed in 2015 the first LK CMM an AlteraS 15.10.8 quickly transformed quality control activities in the Wilford factory, making it faster, much more efficient and less labour-intensive in respect of both measuring parts and preparing inspection reports. The machine's acquisition was triggered by a steep increase in components ordered by key customers coupled with a requirement for more comprehensive, 100% inspection and detailed reporting. Soon afterwards, a customer in the defence sector had a similar requirement for the provision of traceable measurements and certified reports covering the supply of critical, matched components.

A major benefit of the CMM is its large table area, approximately 1.0 x 1.5 metres, which is able to accept up to 12 identical components at a time for batch inspection, instead of just one as on either of the older CMMs. It is unusual within manufacturing industry to see a measuring machine nested with multiple components in this way, but the subcontractor attests that it is a perfectly feasible way of operation. Typically, five batches can be inspected during a day shift with a load time of about five minutes between each batch.

By May 2021, a further increase in batch measuring capacity was needed. A requirement was also introduced for in-process inspection of a particular family of components for one customer. This time a smaller LK AlteraS 10.10.8 with a working volume of 1,016 x 1,016 x 813 mm was purchased, together with the latest CAMIO 2021 and the additional LK Launchpad software.

www.wlrprecision.co.uk

www.LKmetrology.com

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