subject: The Role of CMM Certification in Automated Parts Measurement [print this page] In any manufacturing industry it is vitally important to have parts that meet the proper specifications. After all, for a piece of equipment to operate properly all of its parts need to work together. While part tolerances can vary depending on the device they're used in they must still be within a certain range. This enables continuous operation of whatever they are part of. This, in turn, eliminates downtime and wear which, in the long run, can accrue a significant cost. Thus it is in the interest of any business or organization to keep all parts in spec and to verify that they meet and operate within the proper tolerances.
So how does one determine if a part meets the predetermined specifications? While each individual portion of the assembly can be measured by hand, doing so is extremely inefficient. When an assembly consisting of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of parts needs to be constructed, examining each piece manually is both expensive in terms of time and manpower and quite error-prone as well. Fortunately this task can be automated through the use of Coordinate Measuring Machines.
Coordinate Measuring Machines are electromechanical tools used to measure the geometrical properties of an object. By checking the dimensional constructional coordinates of an object the Coordinate Measuring Machine (or CMM for short) can determine if the part meets the proper specifications. By mechanizing the, usually tedious, process of examining and measuring each individual portion of an assembly the time spent and overall error rate are reduced. Also, since the measuring function is now automated the staff of the business or organization can focus on more pressing tasks which cannot be handled by a machine.
In order for the Coordinate Measuring Machine to be able to operate properly, however, it must be calibrated and certified to an existing standard. This CMM Certification is performed in order to make sure that the CMM is determining the various aspects of a measured object correctly. CMM Certification should be performed routinely to ensure that the CMM operation is up to its original equipment specifications. A Coordinate Measuring Machine that has been calibrated with the correct CMM Certification ensures proper automated parts measuring function without needing to confirm the results. This prevents a bottleneck from forming in any sort of manufacturing process.
The Role of CMM Certification in Automated Parts Measurement
