We are proud to inform you of the launching of CAPTOR-C system, recently patented by Tecnomatrix. CAPTOR-C aims at detecting the correct positioning of the dial indicator on each control point (SC) of your checking fixture, as well as the identification of the point being measured. This system, an extension to CAPTOR-S system, enables to collect measurement data in a quicker and more reliable way, and prevents any error when positioning the dial indicator: it detects into which SC bushing the dial indicator is being mounted, and if it is correctly mounted, thanks to sensors mounted on each of the SC bushings. Moreover, it does not allow any uncorrect mounting of the dial indicator: if the indicator gets separated of 0.01mm from the bushing, the sensors central control system blocks the sending of the measurement value to the software.

CAPTOR-C also integrates a new innovation: contrary to CAPTOR-S, it can measure as much sequentially (i.e following strictly a sequence of points previously defined) as randomly. In that case, the system will display the points measured, their value, Cp, Cpk, etc. and will list the points to be measured, without having to follow a strict order. This measurement mode enables to get a global vision of the part state: the software displays in real time the values measured and if they are OK (green display) or NOK (red display).

Working with CAPTOR-C is as easy as this:
• You start CAPTOR-C software on your PC.
• You select the checking fixture you will measure with, as well as the measurement group, and connect the sensors central control system – mounted on the checking fixture – to your PC by USB cable.
• You start the programme in sequence or random mode.
• You position the dial indicator on the SC you want to measure, or listed in the measurement sequence.
• When pressing the data transmission button on the dial indicator, the control system detects whether the indicator is mounted on the right SC, and is properly mounted, and the value measured is saved into the PC.
• You follow all the measurement process until all the points have been measured.
• If the control system detects that the dial indicator is not mounted on the right SC, or is not properly mounted into the SC bushing, the software displays an error message.
• When finishing the measurement process, you can save and export the data measured in csv format or continue to measure more parts.

CAPTOR-C can be either integrated to new checking fixtures, that we will design and manufacture with this system, or be added to existing checking fixtures, in which case we will have to study the factibility of integrating sensors on each SC. The data acquisition will still be done through CAPTOR-S Bluetooth system. For any inquiry, please contact us with no obligations.

You will soon find more information about this system on our website CAPTOR by Tecnomatrix.

Do you need to measure components rapidly and accurately in production?

Do you need to measure inaccessible areas of your components?

Do you need to measure dimensional and roughness parameters on the same component?

The FlexCal is the answer!

The FlexCal is a rugged and accurate hybrid of a Contour machine and CMM designed for a very fast and accurate inspection of any form.

This new approach to the measurement of profiles, combines a CMM with full implementation of Renishaw touch-trigger and scanning probes, allowing measurement of previously inaccessible features. We can also supply purpose designed probe systems for any application.

Its unprecedented speed together with full CMM facilities for measurement overcome the limits of conventional needle profilometers.

Forget the limiting angle of the profilometers!With the FlexCal With the FlexCal there is no need to tilt the part during the measurement. Conventional profilometers are limited to an angle of contact less than 50° to guarantee accuracy. The FlexCal is able to measure at 90° and even negative contact angle with same accuracy in any direction!

It is designed for high accuracy, repeatability and speed using air-bearings throughout on the moving table and vertical stage.

The FlexCal is ideal for the measurement of internal and external profiles of turned or ground parts both for measuring prototypes, and in the production manufacturing process with full closed loop control of the production machine.

Another major advantage is that the FlexCal program can automatically look for physical contact with the component ,for example in bearing applications, to recognise which size of bearing is present. It then runs the relevant test sequence. This means a simple inexpensive ‘V’ fixture can be used and a pneumatic clamp to cater for a large range of bearings.

In this way operator error is eliminated and throughput speed is maximised, an important factor when measuring on a fast production line.

Please visit our website www.oechsner-messtechnik.de to see a selection of the wide range of applications the FlexCal can handle.

Application to control precisely the position of the different sections of exhaust pipe after their welding process, without extending the process cycle time.

Once the part is mounted on the CMM fixture, CAPTOR-R can take sections of control of position at the beginning and at the end of each section composing the exhaust pipe in order to control that the position of the section is correct. Moreover, the presence or position of any element, probe, nut, etc. welded on the assembly can be checked.

The total control time of the part is not longer than 5 seconds. On the contrary, a manual checking fixture could not carry out a complete control of this part in less than 3 minutes.

The significant reduction in the cycle time helps improving the productivity of the production line, and makes the control of 100% of the parts possible and easy.

Related articles: CAPTOR-R: vision measuring system for gaps and flushes

In this video you can see a simple example of automation of a checking fixture controlling characteristics of a part by Go/No Go gauges. This fixture is composed of a manual checking fixture to which we have added air cylinders whose air pressure is controlled by manometers, and a PLC that manages the controls sequence to detect potential errors.

This type of checking fixtures is perfect to carry out controls frequently because its cycle time is very short. The repeatability of this type of fixtures is very high as the cylinders pressure regulation is very sensitive, which make them stop at the slighest friction. Thanks to this solution, the process of detecting faulty parts is much more reliable than during a manual process, where the result may be more subjective depending on the pressure applied by the user on the Go/No Go controls.

A meter counting faulty parts enables to get a strict control as this meter can only be set to zero by a person having the unlock key for it.

Control systems like this one help making the adjusting of production means easier.

You will find several examples in www.captorsystem.com in the section Case Studies

Artificial vision is being more and more used in the industrial sector to automate tasks and improve the reliability of processes. The assemblies made of different parts, with different colours, textures and brightnesses or finishings represent an extra difficulty for the artificial vision systems controlling gaps and flushes. But with CAPTOR-R we have solved this problem.

The function of this checking fixture is to check the mountability of the part, and measure its width with two dial indicator points.

The difficulty of this part is that, like many dashboard subassemblies, it has many clips located in all the outline of the part, and not all of them are positionned in the same direction.

As it is important to mount and dismount the part without damaging it, we designed several openable clipping systems: the clipping systems for the upper and lower areas of the part – the part main RPS – are activated by two clamps located on the rear part of the checking fixture. They enable to open the clipping system to have the part mounted, and to push the clips out of the system to dismount the part easily.

Once the part is mounted on the checking fixture, you have to fasten two last clips located on the sides of the part; the fastening system of these last two clips must be adjustable in order to block the part without being stronger than the main clipping system. This is why we decided to design an openable system activated by a screw: if you screw it, the clipping system fastens the part. If you unscrew it, the part is released.

Besides simulating the part vehicle fixations, this checking fixture is also equipped with dismountable blocks reproducing its vehicle environment . We have decided to design dismountable blocks, in order to get a fixture that can control quickly the shape of the part during its mounting process (for production controls, for example), and can also be used to carry out measurements by 3D machine (metrology and SPC controls); this avoids the purchasing of both a production checking fixture and a CMM fixture.

Finally, the two control points by dial indicator enable to check that the width of the part is within the tolerances requested. The values will have to be written down a sheet of paper before entering them in an Excel sheet to carry out SPC studies about the series of parts measured.

This process could be made easier by using a CAPTOR-S: the CAPTOR-S Bluetooth transmitter would collect automatically the values measured to save them in the CAPTOR-S PDA without any risk of errors during the process of collection. In order to have the values entered on an Excel sheet, all the user would have to do is connect his PDA to the PC and export his data.

As we announced a few weeks ago in this blog, we are proud to present you our new product, CAPTOR-S, a wireless unit to collect data measured by dial indicator that can be used as much on your next checking fixtures as on your existing ones equipped with dial indicator bushings. The data are sent to a PDA that saves the data before transferring them to a CSV (Excel) file or to the Qs-Stat format.

The main advantages of this system are its fastness for data collection, its reliability as it prevents writing errors, and the obtaining of real time information about the measurements you are taking: tolerances, previous measurements, Cpk, etc. You will find more information about this system on www.captorsystem.com.

To measure parts or elements made of soft materials, it is necessary to use low-pressure dial indicators. Most of these dial indicators, for all the brands available on the market, work with a force of 1.5 to 2N. This force can be reduced if we use a flat probe instead of a round probe, if the geometry of the part enables it.

If this solution is not enough, you can also use the Mitutoyo 543-349B line of products (value display of thousandths of millimeters) that work with a force ranging from 0,4 to 0,7N, or the Mitutoyo 543-404B line of products (value display of hundredth of millimeters) that work with a force between 0,2 and 0,5N. Their price is higher, but they may solve your problem.

If you need to work with lower pressures, you can use Marposs type spring or pneumatic measurement probes, that can work with forces as low as 0.15N.

We will present you soon, in this blog, a new system developped by Tecnomatrix. This system, called, CAPTOR S will be a revolution of your way of measuring. After one year and a half of development, we are very proud to inform you of its launching. We hope CAPTOR S will represent a major improvement of your working method.