Accurate visual inspection and identification of surface defects in production ensures that customers have a reduced time to build, with none of the supplied parts being rejected on arrival and holding up the process.
Precision Technologies is a company that knows all about this. It is a well-respected precision engineering company which has recently won the Motorsport Industry Association Business of the Year Award (sales under £5 million).
The company specialises in the manufacture of gears and splines being supplied into the motorsport industry, specifically Formula 1. Significant expansion over the last few years has seen the company invest in additional inspection technology to ensure that the parts it manufactures pass quality inspection first time.
Formula 1 is a challenging environment when 1/100th of a second can make the difference between a car winning and losing a race. Performance of safety critical components is stress tested using advanced software techniques, highlighting any areas for inspection.
The visual auditing requirements for Formula 1 have also increased significantly over the last few years and all suppliers now need to comply with the more stringent regulations. It was therefore crucial that Precision Technologies had the equipment to perform a thorough quality inspection prior to despatch.
Precision Technologies uses the Optimax Evo Cam II digital microscope at a 50x magnification on gears and splines looking for any scratches on the surface that are not visible to the naked eye.
The system offers ultra-sharp HD image quality and the increased frames per second ensure that there is no motion blur. If the company does find any defects then it has opted for the measuring software on the Evo Cam II which allows it to measure the defects, log them and investigate why they have happened to prevent recurrence.
The main reason for specifically purchasing the Evo Cam II unit was driven by the company’s customers which have a number of the units already to inspect the goods when they arrive. Precision Technologies has therefore opted to use the same equipment when checking the parts for final inspection before despatch.
Precision Technologies has used the Evo Cam unit for a number of years and due to recent growth, has invested in additional units to keep up with inspection demand and avoid bottlenecks. This gives its customers peace of mind that the same equipment is being used ensuring that the parts will pass inspection on receipt.
The ease of use of the system is also key for both Precision Technologies and its customers – only minimal training on the system is necessary.
Lee Wardall, operations director comments: ‘We are very happy with the Evo Cam II systems that we are using for our inspection requirements. Not only is it a quality piece of equipment but the fact that our customers are also using this same equipment to inspect the goods when they arrive means that we are confident that the products we supply have been inspected to the highest standard, won’t be rejected and will increase our customers’ time to build.”
Optimax www.optimaxonline.com
Precision Technologies www.precisiontechnologies.co.uk
