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Measurement system enhances quality at Formex |
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 by Jerry Cook
In order to speed up its inspection and measurement capabilities and reduce errors, Formex Metal Industries Inc., Kitchener, ON recently installed a Mitutoyo QM-Data 200 2D coordinate measurement geometry calculation system.
"Originally when we first installed our Mitutoyo profile projector it was very basic and just read X and Y coordinates in thousandths of a millimeter.
"Basically, the unit just gave you positions and some rudimentary GD&T, but 90% of the work you had to do yourself," says Corey Slauenwhite, QA technician with Formex.
Continues Slauenwhite, "We needed to do dimensional layouts and previously it was a very tedious task. With the QM-Data system it is much easier.
"I wrote an Excel spreadsheet and underlining VBA script which imports the CSV data which is collected from the QM-Data 200 system by way of a com port capture program and null modem RS-232C cable. This data is refreshed at a rate of once per minute so you do not have real time data but a lag of maximum one minute and you have the ability to manually refresh the data as well. This is acceptable as there are multiple dimensions to be checked and you can see the real time information on the QM-Data 200't screen," he explains.
Although Formex already had a CMM, it wasn't the best choice for the company't needs, Slauenwhite says. "We have a CMM but the CMM wasn't practical for cylindrical objects. The CMM could do the job but being a manual machine it would also be very time-consuming. We would have to set-up the part and build the jig. We only need two axis not three," he notes.
Formex, which began operations in 1981, specializes in the production of screw machined and formed tubular products for Tier 1 automotive suppliers.
"We do a lot of screw machined parts and we'te also recently gone into CNC machining and laser drilling in the past year," notes Slauenwhite. "Before we got into the CNC machining work most of our tolerances were in the thousandths of an inch range.
"However, since we got into CNC machining, we are starting to do finer and finer detail work, we'te actually started doing jobs where the tolerances are into the micron range."
Formex specializes in medium to high volume contract orders with part runs ranging from 300,000 to 1.5 million pieces per part number a year.
The company has 25 employees at its 17,000 sq. ft. facility. Formex is registered to the ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification.
Formex provides a variety of services including tube cold forming, cold form tapping, laser drilling, broaching, bending, and slotting.
The QM-Data 200 2D coordinate measurement geometry calculation system was supplied by Mitutoyo Canada Inc., Mississauga, ON (mitutoyo.ca) through Frank J. Cox Sales Ltd. (frankcox.com).
Formex uses the QM-Data 200 system in conjunction with Mitutoyo't PH-3500 profile projector.
One part for which the QM-Data system was initially installed required 20 different measurements. "Previously, we had to measure each point one at a time. We would have to take the measurement, refine the origin, go back and re-do measurements, and then go back and find the origin all over again.
"It was very tedious and time-consuming because you couldn't just lock one spot in like you can with a CMM," he states. "Also, because you are moving the part around so much, there is also much more chance for error. Also, it is easy to collect statistical data using the QM-200 as the device can collect this information for you and show you the statistical numerical values and the accompanying histogram on the screen."
Adds Slauenwhite, "That was the main reason for the change and installing the QM-Data system. We wanted something that could do most of the thought for us and also reduce the number of human calculation errors (involved with the process)."
According to Slauenwhite, the QM-Data 200 package in conjunction with the PH-3500 profile projector works essentially as a 2D CMM system. "Once you set up the co-ordinate system like a CMM, the system already knows exactly where the origin point is and can do all of its own calculations as you measure and load individual points," he says. The QM-Data 200 also has the ability like a CMM to take individual points of measurement and combine them together to create different features and makes measurements based on those calculated features.
The QM-Data system has provided a variety of benefits for Formex, says Slauenwhite. For one thing, the firm has achieved significant savings in measurement and inspection time. "The system is a wonderful time-saver. Once the program is written anyone can use the machine who is trained in the basics of running it. I would say that the system has probably cut our measurement time in half."
In particular, Slauenwhite says that the system saves significant amounts of time for measuring one-off parts.
Quality, he continues, has also improved. "You can program in the tolerances and the system will tell you in plain language whether the part is good or not. The QM-Data 200 system has improved quality drastically."
The system is also very easy to use, notes Slauenwhite. "You don't have to worry about remembering numbers or having a drawing in front of you once the program for the part is written. The user just has to know how to run the program."
Installing the QM-Data system has also assisted Formex with its move into CNC machining, adds Slauenwhite. "We'te getting more and more into the fine detail work especially in the CNC machining area. The QM-Data system speeds up the measurement process."
The QM-Data 200 system offers a variety of features including one-key operation for combined measurements that are often used such as circle-circle distance; a measuring position guide is displayed in repeated measurement (measuring position navigation); and the automatic identification (AI) measurement function (automatic identification of measuring item) eliminates switching between the measurement command keys.
The QM-Data 200 system is definitely meeting the company't current measurement and inspection needs. "I love the machine. I wish I would have had the system five years ago when I started this job."
mitutoyo.ca
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