CMM improves turnaround and boosts orders

Citation

(2000), "CMM improves turnaround and boosts orders", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 72 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2000.12772aab.007

CMM improves turnaround and boosts orders

Keywords Mitutoyo, Aerospace industry, Measurement, Machining

Avionic Components, part of Hampson Industries plc, a manufacturer of precision machined parts for the aerospace industry, has installed a Euro C Apex 7106 co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) from Mitutoyo. As a direct result, the company has reportedly reduced its lead times and therefore attracted more business.

The majority of the parts now manufactured by Avionic Components are used in gas turbines for the major engine manufacturers in the UK and USA. These are high precision machined parts that require 100 per cent inspection and a report supplied to the customer when the delivery is made. Until the new CMM was purchased the parts were passed from the machine shop to the inspection department where they would join a queue to be inspected on one of several manual and CNC CMMs from a variety of manufacturers. If the inspection department was busy, there could be a considerable time lag between the parts being machined and then being released from inspection for delivery. To avoid this situation, the company decided to install a new, user-friendly CMM that could be operated by the machinists as soon as they had finished machining a component.

Selecting a CMM was not simply a question of comparing the specifications for alternative machines; an overall package was required, to include software, training, installation, commissioning and post-sales support. After considering proposals from three alternative suppliers, the company selected the Euro C Apex 7106 CMM and Geopak Win software from Mitutoyo.

Geoff Crossland, Quality Control Manager, explains:

Our previous experience with Mitutoyo has shown that the response from their service department is superb, whereas other suppliers of CMMs have not been so good. Although one other supplier was seriously considered, we believed that with Mitutoyo's commitment to product development their software will soon match the competition.

Avionic Components already had Mitutoyo's Geopak 3 software for two manual CMMs and this is also being used for some components on the new Euro C. However, all new programs are being written with Geopak Win so there is a gradual migration to the newer software. As part of the overall package, Mitutoyo included four days of training for four people. Whilst the machinists now operate the CMM, the inspection programs are written by the quality control staff.

Mr Crossland states:

When a part is machined, we can now inspect it, print the report and deliver that part within the same day. This would have been very difficult before ... Now that our customers can see what we can achieve, they are sending more work our way.

The tighter the time scales, however, the more important it is that the CMM is reliable. Mr Crossland says:

The other make of CMM we previously used for this work did, occasionally, let us down. It also could be difficult to get the service engineers out. The Mitutoyo CMM, on the other hand, has never let us down, but we are confident that, if we ever needed assistance, Mitutoyo would respond immediately - and this is the sort of back-up we need when we are making promises to our customers about deliveries.

Details available from: Mitutoyo (UK) Limited. Tel: +44 (0)1264 353123; Fax: +44 (0)1264 354883; e-mail: mitumark@aol.com