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their LK CMMS to existing dashboard applications in their factories that previously were only able to display informa- tion on machine tools.
In the USA, an expanded dealer sales network has been established by LK’s Michigan subsidiary involving nine new companies and 20 facilities. Considerable sales success has been achieved in this market, a case of note being the supply to an automotive OEM of a CMM capable of 0.8 micron mea- suring accuracy throughout a 1,500 x 1,000 x 800 mm mea- suring volume, a level of performance that competitor CMM suppliers were unable to match. The installation is supporting the inspection of machined automatic transmission gears and shafts prior to their transfer to an assembly line.
The ASF Metrology group has completed ISO 17025 ac- creditation, the main standard used by testing and calibration laboratories around the world, which places the LK team of service engineers in the accredited list. The company also recently passed the ISO 9001 audit without a single non- conformance.
At the end of 2020, a new stylus cleaner was introduced to remove contamination from the stylus tip automatically during a measuring cycle. Called LK StyliCleaner, it takes just 30 seconds to remove any debris present to ensure ac- curate metrology. Due for imminent release are two new horizontal-arm CMMs, one a conventional machine and the other of layout configuration, as well as a new range of large,
gantry-type CMMs.
The past year has given LK Metrology an opportunity
to concentrate on R&D in the areas of new CMM sensors, accessories, software integrations and other new products to enhance its offering. Work is at an advanced stage on the de- velopment and integration of a new laser scanner and several derived products for deployment on static CMMs and articu- lated arms. Ease of use will ensure that the benefits of laser scanning will be routinely exploited, even by inexperienced operators, and a competitive price structure should lead to their widespread adoption.
Inspecting the quality of machined parts often involves the verification of surface roughness, which historically has been checked using either handheld roughness sensors or dedicated set-ups in a metrology laboratory. Both are man- ual disciplines that require skill and are subject to variation. Moreover, as they are time consuming, often only a small number of samples out of a production batch can be mea- sured. With the integration of a roughness sensor on a CMM, the measurement would become part of the inspection pro- gram and therefore automated, repeatable and fast enough for 100 percent inspection. Development of this technology including the associated software, without using top-end, ex- pensive scanning probes, is currently a focus of attention at LK.
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