In July 2012, Metron Systems Inc. was acquired by a new owner committed to maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction, and to providing the sound, stable financial backing required to support business development and growth. Under it’s new ownership the company’s name is now Metronic Systems LLC.
We welcome you to our news and information blog, and look forward to serving your need for advanced 3D metrology.
Quality control and inspection will always involve a combination of tools. Variations in part size, surface finish, shape complexity and feature-characteristics force you to use a collection of different tools to make the necessary measurements. While air gauges, micrometers and calipers are accurate on some features or parts, others call for CMMs and/or non-contact 3D scanning. There is no such thing as a single, magic measurement technology that addresses all QC inspection situations.
Given the reality of this multi-tool approach to quality inspection, the greatest advantage an organization can posses is the ability to gather, align and report information from the various sensors and measurement devices in use. It is with this advantage in mind that Metronic Systems LLC has entered into a working relationship with Origin International Inc.
Origin’s CheckMate software provides collection and alignment of data from a variety of sensors and measurement devices. Through the new partnership with Metronic Systems, Origin’s CheckMate Point Cloud Metrology (PCM) software will automatically align a Metronic point cloud to the corresponding CAD model with unparalleled precision. CheckMate PCM will then perform an array of advanced analyses including: color deviation maps, GD&T, targeted cross sectional studies, and many others.
CheckMate also produces comprehensive quality reporting in standardized formats such as PPAP for automotive applications, and AS9102 for first article inspection in aerospace.
Metronic selected Origin as a partner because of their history of providing industry-leading functionality for coordinate measurement equipment of all types. Metronic management believes CheckMate offers the most comprehensive, fully integrated suite of metrology software on the market today.
The bottom line in any manufacturing business is the cost of quality inspection must be commensurate with the part being produced. Integrating the existing tools in your lab with CheckMate software and accelerating inspection throughput with Metronic’s G2 Laser Scanner will drive down cost, keep your process under control, and maximize production efficiency.
First Article Inspection of new production parts is a critical step in any manufacturing operation. It is the mandatory step that verifies the part’s design and validates the manufacturing process.
Manufacturers have recently learned a great deal about how to expedite the first article inspection process, particularly through the use of 3D scanners. The primary advantage of non-contact 3D scanning is that it captures millions of data points in only a few minutes. And because the entire surface of the part gets inspected, it reduces the chances that additional errors, which weren’t part of the traditional touch-probe inspection protocol, will show up later during the assembly process.
First article inspection of a complex, aerospace part
Manufacturers have also learned that 3D laser scanners aren’t created equal. Some 3D scanners are highly automated, yet have poor measurement accuracy. Other systems cycle through parts rapidly but can’t measure reflective or composite surfaces, or the measurable part size is limited.
So when selecting a 3D scanner as a tool for first article inspection, it is vital to make sure the system has the following characteristics:
If you’re looking to improve the efficiency of your quality inspection program, contact Metronic Systems to learn how an automated 3D scanner can advance your First Article Inspection capabilities.
To be practical for a broad range of part types and sizes, and also provide competitive advantage for your business, a 3D laser scanner must embody a number of simultaneous characteristics:
Unfortunately, many 3D products are unable to provide all of these measurement characteristics and are forced to make trade-offs between field of view and accuracy. The result of this compromise is 3D data that is low density and therefore low accuracy.
Metronic Systems LLC has developed an optical scanning technology to meet the most demanding 3D scanning applications, and the Metronic G2 possesses all of the characteristics listed above. Metronic’s fast scan speed, large field of view and highly accurate, suface-independent measurement creates a clean, dense pointcloud that gives you reliable 3D inspection results in a short period of time.
