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The challenge of measuring large components

Measurement solutions at production plants

The market is demanding increasingly larger components that are capable of meeting more stringent dimensional requirements. Consequently, measuring strategies have to be adapted to obtain higher levels of accuracy in broader measuring ranges to avoid having to transport sizeable parts to measuring units during a manufacturing process.

High range metrology is advancing thanks to powerful demands arising from the energy and transport sectors. Other areas such as aeronautics, shipbuilding or the wind power business are nowadays demanding components that are larger and more sophisticated. Consequently, high range metrology must be far more accurate when dealing with larger parts.

Until now, measuring processes have been carried on coordinate measuring machines located close to production areas, an operation that does guarantee the quality of the end product quality and is very expensive because costly transport operations are usually involved.

In this scenario, it is essential to adapt high range metrology to meet these new needs. Recently developed hardware and software tools do not only achieve an acceptable level of on-site precision, in which environmental variations are the worst enemy of metrology, but also improve planning actions and allow advanced measuring strategies such as trilateration or la multi-lateration to be applied in order to reduce uncertainties when dealing with large volumes and components.

The Spatial Analyzer software can be used as an example because, thanks to its simulation capabilities featuring top of the range measuring systems such as laser trackers, photogrammetry or articulated arms, it is having a significant impact on the verification of components and is turning out to be key support for major erection operations.

IK4-TEKNIKER is working with this software and other portable measuring systems in the field of high range metrology to introduce simulation, verification and erection assistance solutions in the market. Based, primarily, on laser tracker technologies and photogrammetry, on-site verification capabilities are being increased thanks to the simulation tools of this software in order to significantly reduce on-site measuring uncertainties.

Interferometry, moreover, is positioning itself as a leading technology in terms of monitoring and geometric verifications involving heavy duty machine tools. The evolution of traditional interferometers towards volumetric verification tools such as tracer lasers has made it possible to perform rapid verifications and volumetric compensations on machine tools and coordinate measuring machines throughout their entire work volume.

In the case of geometric monitoring of machine tools, interferometry-based tools such as the Multiline solution from Etalon AG designed to monitor machine geometry variations via interferometric channels, there is a clear trend towards performing geometric monitoring in the case of large scale machine tools.

IK4-TEKNIKER is collaborating with the German company Etalon AG in the Spanish market by applying solutions based on interferometry for machine tool and coordinate measuring machine verification, compensation and monitoring.

In short, IK4-TEKNIKER has high range metrology solutions, a decisive factor as regards equipment quality.