Automotive industry parts & assembly quality standards have moved from sigma level sampling to zero defect requirements. This can be achieved through a combination of containment through 100% inspections (eliminating bad parts) and correction through immediate feedback & adjustment.

Manufacturers of critical parts & assemblies such as airbag, wheel bearing specification and piston have now achieved this by adding SMAC XYZ measurement systems to their inline manufacturing process. Compact, precise, positioning resolution to 100 nanometre, fast (>10G) these linear motor based systems incorporate a patented “softland” capability removes the need for expensive probes.

Volumes up to 100mm3 can be covered by a single system. Bore diameter & depth, finish surface, run-out, undercut, tri-lobing, taper & concentricity, all are measurable in time spans matching the production cycle thereby maintaining production efficiency. Presence of chips caught in grooves can also be checked during the gauging process. Robust guiding and the direct drive linear motor greatly reduce the need for periodic offsets that are a major problem of standard commercial CMMs. The ability to integrate multi axis systems & controllers means different faces of the parts can be simultaneously measured thus matching the production timing.

SMAC devices can be used in machine shop floor environment where professional camera & vision lines as well as commercial large CMM systems fail due to the presence of oil on parts and in the air.

Gage Correlation: The SMAC manufacturers of actuators are able to be set up in a manner that will allow for them to be easily calibrated & correlated to proven manual or CMM inspection methods.