Portable 8-Axis CMM Measures Large Castings Directly on Shop Floor

摘要

Measuring finished castings to ensure production to specification is a key part to manufacturing the quality product that customers require. However, some castings can be difficult to manipulate into a traditional coordinate measurement system because of their size or weight. In addition, stationary measuring machines can be costly. To eliminate this problem, Axila, Inc., Farmington Hills, Michigan, has introduced the Orbital 8 - axis portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM). This CMM can inspect castings on the shop floor measuring up to 20 ft (6 m) accurately to 0.15 mm. The machine uses Arm 100, a lightweight, 6 - axis portable CMM weighing only 10 lb (4.6 kg) that also can be used for small casting measurement. Two additional axes can be attached to the 6 - axis arm, allowing larger castings to be inspected. The last two axes of the arm are used as a 3-D mouse that allows one employee to operate the CMM without assistance.