The right CMM at the right price

Operating from its facility in Edinburgh, Vert Rotors is the pioneer of Conical Rotary Compressor (CRC) technology.

The technology is integrated into the flagship Vert compressor range. The A100 compressor and the recently unveiled A150 both feature the ability to provide compressed air at low noise levels from a portable package, whilst still being capable of continuous operation.

With its inherent ability to achieve high pressures, the difference with CRC technology lies in its rotating inner and outer rotors. As air travels along the rotors the volume of the chamber reduces, which in turn increases the pressure of the air.

It is this innovative technology that saw the company made winners of the Made in Scotland award (2018) and Innovator of the Year award (2017).

The resulting pressure has a notably low noise signature which means that Vert compressors are ideal for use in environments where people may be working in close proximity. Vert’s primary target application is in laboratories, workshops and other environments where low noise is a primary consideration. The compressors are a portable, plug and play solution which can quickly and easily be set up wherever air is required.

Established in 2013, Vert has experienced rapid growth in the last five years and has benefitted significantly from bringing all its manufacturing processes in-house.

Nicol Low, head of production at Vert explains: “We have design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly and R&D all in one facility so we’re able to produce all the parts we require for our compressors ourselves without relying on subcontracting services.

“This enables us to carry out design iterations far faster than was previously possible; in particular the inner and outer rotors are difficult to machine to the required tolerance so we need to quickly evolve the manufacturing strategies to get those correct.”

Due to the design and manufacturing complexity of the Vert technology there was a real need to ensure tight manufacturing tolerances were met. To achieve this objective, the decision was made to invest in more advanced metrology equipment.

Mr Low explains: “The helical and contoured surfaces of the parts we produce are complex and we needed to ensure that machining accuracy was being achieved and maintained. We looked at all sorts of measuring technologies available but our initial search was for a CMM, driven by a requirement for accuracy and reliability whilst also keeping an eye on price. As we discovered, Aberlink CMMs could meet all the accuracy requirements and are very price competitive.”

Following an initial conversation with Aberlink, Vert sent three rotor parts to the company’s Gloucestershire headquarters for testing – two were known to be out of tolerance and the other was removed from a performant compressor. It took only 10 minutes on one of Aberlink’s Axiom too CMMs to identify the compliant part.

Mr Low comments: “The report data we got back from Aberlink exactly matched the testing we had done ourselves which was a big thumbs up from us. It was obvious that we could shortcut a lot of the existing manual measurement and lengthy performance testing, save on time and be confident that parts were accurate. It was a pretty easy decision in the end.”

Installed in a temperature-controlled QA department, the Axiom too CMM is being put to good use providing rapid, accurate feedback on parts for the CRCs. It has also served a dual purpose; the CMM itself is powered by one of the same A100 compressors that Vert produce – providing an example of how the Vert compressors can be put to use to power machines quietly within a workshop setting.

Mr Low explains how the CMM has proven to be a valuable asset: “The inner CRC rotor is fairly easy to measure but you need a CMM to be able to do so. We conduct a series of peck scans of the surface and then compare that against a 3D model and check that the machining strategies are effective, that the parts are compliant, and that the tool offset is correct.

“The outer rotor is more complex to measure and the measurement programs that we create can be a little bit difficult to reproduce – but with Aberlink’s help we were quickly able to identify the best way to measure this part. Now we can run the program and come back to the Axiom too CMM 10 minutes later for a detailed measurement report. The machine has proved very reliable and its accuracy is equally impressive given the price.”

Aberlink’s Axiom too range of CMMs consists of capacities from 640 x 600 x 500mm up to 640 x 1,500 x 500mm and is available either with manual or CNC control. The machines are not only easy to use; Aberlink claims to be the only major metrology manufacturer to supply machines with zero annual software maintenance contracts or subscriptions and free software updates for the life of the machine. All of this means that the cost of ownership is very low and the shortest return on investment is possible.

Aberlink www.aberlink.co.uk

Vert Rotors www.vertrotors.com