The Role Of Coordinate Measuring Machines In The Automotive Parts Industry
The automotive part fabrication industry requires that all parts are made to exacting standards
. The reason for such stringent accuracy requirements is the fact that each part produced will serve as a module for a larger assembly. Thus, the dimensional specifications of every part must be exact and the parts produced must be manufactured to very precise tolerances. Anything outside the precise operating range for the part may result in assembly failure which, in an automobile, could be fatal. That is why the automotive part fabrication industry puts such a tremendous emphasis on the inspection and quality control of every part made.Most automotive part fabrication plants are equipped with at least one advanced coordinate measuring machine as well as staff trained and qualified in the operation of such an important tool. These machines use a variety of methods to achieve a high degree of fast yet extremely accurate measurement. Whether utilizing a physical probe or a laser scanning mechanism, these machines are able to determine if a part was manufactured correctly or if a flaw was introduced during some point in the production process.
The use of coordinate measuring machines has greatly improved assembly line efficiency. By removing the human factor from checking the dimensions of a manufactured part the amount of measurement errors is greatly reduced. Also, the speed advantage to using an automated measuring system is phenomenal. Coupled with an extremely high degree of accuracy, CMMs (coordinate measurement machines) have been a great boon to the automotive part fabrication industry. One example of such a coordinate measuring machine is the Mitutoyo coordinate measuring machine.
Precision measurement instruments like the Mitutoyo coordinate measuring machine are able to quickly analyze and measure a part and transmit the data to a dedicated processing unit for data analysis. Such a Mitutoyo coordinate measuring machine offers a part fabrication plant a significant ROI due to reduced labor costs as well as a significant reduction in liability issues.
After all, measuring a part by hand is a lengthy and tedious task with which the risk of error increases greatly in relation to time spent. This is due to operator fatigue which can lead to measurement mistakes and other general errors. By automating the process using a Mitutoyo coordinate measuring machine the measuring process is mechanized and streamlined for greater efficiency.
by: David Frost