Uppermost accuracy for complete aerospace inspection

The company manufactures a wide range of components, from relatively simple parts to the production of components with complex geometrical shapes on the company’s 5-axis machine tools.

Operations such as turning, milling and drilling are undertaken with the benefit of live in-process probing that continually monitors quality. The company’s machines are linked to central computerised systems which are used to manage work scheduling and machining programmes, also to permanent record actual component dimensions.

Martin Aerospace use two CNC CMMs located in an environmentally controlled area to perform 100% final inspection on the company’s output. Although, in accordance with its policy of supplying production staff with the best available inspection aids, a search was recently made for an additional CMM that had the ability to deliver the required standards of inspection accuracy on the company’s shopfloor. The company opted for an Xtreme CNC CMM from Aberlink.

Martin Aerospace’s quality manager Colin Tonnar explains: “Quality is central to all of our activities. In addition to consistently delivering parts and kits on time and on budget, our quality ethos and recording and traceability systems are amongst our key competitive advantages. As well as enabling us to consistently achieve 100% score cards from the most demanding of our global customers, our strict quality regime assists us in driving down internal costs through achieving right-first-time production and by the reduction of scrap levels.

“We ensure that our production personnel have quality uppermost in their minds and we support them by delivering ongoing training, by using state-of-the-art Q-Pulse quality management system software and by providing them with the latest inspection equipment.

“Following a trouble-free installation in a central location on our shopfloor and operator training, the new Aberlink CMM is now being used by our production staff for in-process inspection procedures,” he explains. “Now, rather than lose valuable production time taking machined parts to our inspection department and waiting for a CMM to complete its current task, instant accurate CMM inspection results can be achieved close to the point of manufacture. This faster feedback enables machine adjustments to be made when component dimensions drift from nominal conditions.

“Another advantage with the Xtreme is that our machine operators are now able to place first-off machined components on the CMM’s bed; the relevant program is then quickly selected and the start button pressed. Following rapid and precise, fully automated CNC measuring routines, captured inspection data is archived by our electronic system. Paper documents with all relevant information are also produced by the CMM for inclusion in our machinists’ work folders.

“Having now installed a CNC CMM that is able to deliver our required levels of precision on our shopfloor, we have been able to reduce the time between the machining of components and the verification of their dimensions. In addition to allowing the quicker capture of data and increasing machine tool productive times, the use of the Xtreme has allowed our inspection department’s CMMs to concentrate on their important final inspection duties.”

Launched at MACH 2016, the Xtreme CNC CMM was designed to provide accuracy, ease-of-use and speed-of-measurement in production environments.

It features a non-Cartesian structure and makes use of linear motors and mechanical bearings, ensuring the machine maintains its high accuracy performance at rapid measurement rates and doesn’t suffer from the accumulative inaccuracies that occur in conventional 3-axis Cartesian arrangements.

The cost-effective machine requires no compressed air and Aberlink says it requires the shortest learning curve of any equivalent system. An inexperienced operator is normally able to become competent in the Xtreme’s use in just one day.

Ensuring greater user productivity and profitability, the Xtreme utilises Aberlink’s easy to use 3D software. In essence this ‘smart’ software represents an intelligent measuring system that is able to automatically recognise and define the various features being measured.

Aberlink 3D is claimed to be the easiest to use and most intuitive CMM software currently available making it ideal for use by both quality and production personnel.

Aberlink Innovative Metrology www.aberlink.com

Martin Aerospace www.martinaerospace.com