Maximum flexibility for various applications

One characteristic of the SURFCOM NEX 041 that S.I.M.E. particularly admires is the “T” stylus, which allows measurement of the upper and lower profile, guaranteeing greater precision in evaluation of the diameter and of the irregular thickness of pieces to be processed. “It is particularly important for us to be able to measure both the upper and lower threads in just one position.” – Pisapia continues – “This allows us to accurately measure related diameters because the repositioning error is eliminated: this feature certainly made us lean towards the Accretech instrument.”

Roughness is another very important parameter in the quality control of S.I.M.E. projects. The fact that the SURFCOM NEX 041 (the marriage of NEX 040 and NEX 001) profilometer-roughness meter is also able to measure roughness is also a further confirmation of the quality of the product, according to Pisapia, “Measurement of the roughness is critical, and it requires an instrument that is not effected by vibrations and background noise, which is why a tool that can also measure roughness will measure the profile even better.”

Reduced set-up times to increase productivity

The profilometer-roughness meter – located in a metrology lab near the production area – is used both for process control and to guarantee final quality. The quality control process occurs – following the set-up – on every first piece of a batch and is then repeated on random samples. Working in the aeronautic sector, S.I.M.E. often works on small lots – 50-100 pieces – so the set-up is performed numerous times per day on each of the 23 work stations between turning and milling. After every set-up, the operator brings the first piece into the metrology lab for the check, which is performed by the same operator or a metrology technician. This type of process is repeated on the same batch for each critical operation or treatment performed by S.I.M.E. When the product is ready, the metrology expert performs the final quality control exam on each critical parameter. “There are details that require a check of 100% of the dimensional characteristics: this means that SURFCOM NEX is used more than once per day by numerous people.”

The variability of the checks performed derives not only from the need to measure different pieces, but also from the fact that different tests performed on the same piece vary according to the process and manufacturing type. The reduced set-up times of SURFCOM NEX 041 are a fundamental element for S.I.M.E. “A very useful characteristic of this instrument is that it automatically recognizes the stylus when it is changed, automatically loading all of the parameters associated with that type of test, without the need to perform manual calibration.” This characteristic has allowed S.I.M.E. to reduce the required set-up times, thereby reducing bottlenecks and increasing productivity: “this was also one of the reasons that we decided to change instruments: the prior solution had time consuming and cumbersome parameter set-up processes.”

Another important aspect for S.I.M.E. was the interfacing of the metrology tool with the company data collection system. With a bi-directional system, S.I.M.E. collects and shares data between the production area and the management system, both to monitor processes and to offer the client all of the necessary information on the products and treatments performed. “The Surfcom NEX integrated into the system perfectly, offering S.I.M.E. the ability to collect all relevant measurements, associate them with a specific batch and provide them to our clients.”

Ease of use and always-accessible technical assistance

The technicians at S.I.M.E. who use SURFCOM NEX are trained in the basic concepts of metrology and on interpreting mechanical drawings, but the fact that straightforward functionality of the instruments ACCTee software is significant. Pisapia explains this concept better “It’s extremely important to us that the software offer the possibility of viewing and analysing many different parameters, but it is also critical that it offer an intuitive interface that allows the user to immediately view the most important parameters for each process: from this point of view, the ACCTee software has exceeded even our highest expectations.”
The staff of the metrology department have been trained directly by ACCRETECH Europe technicians in the use of all functions of the product. On occasion technical assistance can be required with special parameters or personalised settings related to particularly complex workpieces. And the opening of new foreign markets has resulted in greater complexity: “In some cases, specific requests from our clients in Germany are quite different from those we are used to seeing in the technical designs of our Italian clients, and occasionally in the past we didn’t know how to handle them.” Here, too, the feedback is positive: “The Accretech technicians have always proven themselves fully able to fulfil every single one of our requests. In addition, they have also established a great relationship with the workshop staff, another positive aspect that shouldn’t be underestimated.”