FIVE-AXIS CMM INSPECTION LETS 'GOOD TIMES ROLL'

摘要

Kawasaki's 800,000-square-foot Maryville, MO, plant, opened in 1989, produces single- and twin-cylinder air-cooled or water-cooled engines, 1000 cc or smaller, for commercial and consumer lawnmower OEMs, as well as for a sister plant that manufactures ATVs and Mule utility vehicles. When they started here, they had a couple of 3-axis coordinate measuring machines (CMM) with PH10 articulating heads and SP25 probes, and another CMM with a fixed probe head. They were frustrated with having to make probe configurations and being limited to what they could do even with the articulated heads. They had so many different probe configurations that calibration times of six to seven hours took a bite out of their inspection throughput, too. Kawasaki bought a new Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex 121210 in 2009 with the Revo system installed from the factory, and retrofitted an identical machine in 2010, after the first machine was up and running with all the part programs. This new flexibility, the reduced fixturing, form measurement, the parametric programming -- these are all collateral advantages, in addition to the raw inspection speed. Show less