image courtesy of Hexagon
Coordinate Measuring Machines are highly reliable piece of equipment that can help companies of all sizes increase their efficiency in work speed as well as their accuracy in quality assurance. Such is the case for Ace Inotec Manufacturing Private Limited, a manufacturer of precision components based in Bangalore, India. Their products are used in many fields, such as the aerospace, automotive, motion system, medical and general engineering industries. As a fast-paced, competitive business environment, it’s essential that their production is accurate and efficient.
Some of the processes that Ace Inotec utilises are CNC machining, assembly solutions, quick prototyping and complete turnkey development of precision engineering components. “The main expectation of our clients is the accuracy and repeatability of part measurements,” says Srinivas G., Deputy Plant Manager, Ace Inotec. “Many operate in the aerospace, motion system and medical industries where accuracy and quality are paramount, with accepted tolerances as small as 5 microns. They also expect not just mean diameters and measurements but the minimum and maximum measurements of part dimensions, which helps evaluate the error margins of a given batch of precision parts.”
In 2018, Ace Inotec installed a Hexagon GLOBAL CMM paired with a PC-DMIS inspection software to meet these requirements. The CMM has proven to be an indispensable tool at all stages of their designing, engineering and manufacturing stages. The first component is inspected with the machine to ensure it meets requirements, before production starts, during which a sample of parts is taken for in-process CMM inspection. At least 40-50% of the part’s dimensions are measured to ensure all important parameters remain within the promised tolerances. Finally, there’s a quality inspection of finished components to complete the CMM process.
“We use the GLOBAL CMM and PC-DMIS software very effectively throughout our 24/7 manufacturing process,” says Srinivas G. “The system delivers excellent measurement performance and guaranteed quality control on any job our customers entrust to us. I’m very pleased with the highly accurate results and repeatability of the measurements. Compared to some other measurement software products we’ve seen, we fully trust the results PC-DMIS delivers to our team. We have no doubts.”
The amount of time the CMM can save Ace Inotec means that they can offer their customers competitive prices. This is due to the optimisation of the software, as well as the ease of use for the setup: PC-DMIS especially allows the system to run measurement routines simply and quickly. The program is simple to understand, which means not only that it is fairly simple to learn the system, but it also reduces the chances of operator error. An added benefit here is that most commands are similar to those in their CAD software, which makes it a straightforward process to import CAD model data to build inspection programs with it.
“Over the last four years, we’ve had the Hexagon system in use 24/7. It allows us to successfully take on any application and inspection challenge that our customers bring to us,” says Srinivas G. “PC-DMIS allows our operators to get the best performance out of the CMM. They appreciate how simple it is to set up and use compared with other options we’ve seen on the market. During production, we really can measure at the push of a button.”
Thanks to their experience in increased productivity, as well as the ease of use of the system, Ace Inotec has decided to order a further two CMMs with PC-DMIS software from Hexagon, specifically to handle larger volume components.
image courtesy of Hexagon