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Inspections in Manufacturing
The process of manufacturing a product has become highly technical in the past decade or so. With the new technology available many manufacturers are now finding it possible to increase productivity and efficiency using software and machines that make it possible to produce a product in half the time it took just a few years back. One of the last steps to find true efficiency, however, has been the inspection process.
New Technology in Inspections
It used to take days or even weeks to inspect a product, depending on its complexity. This required not only a lot of time, but a lot of highly-specialized man-power to see the inspection through. With new laser scanning technology this is a thing of the past. Laser scanners are replacing Coordinate Measuring Machines due to their ability to collect data with greater accuracy and efficiency.
Laser Scanner vs. CMM
In recent years the use of Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) has become too inefficient in the inspection process. First, these machines require a great deal more time than a laser scanner. A CMM has to physically collect measurement data point by point. A laser scanner can be used to collect thousands of points in a matter of minutes or even seconds. In addition to taking vastly longer to collect data, there are often points on a product that a CMM simply cannot reach or read. CMM Machines also lack the accuracy of a laser scanner. Delicate parts made of softer plastics can sometimes deflect causing inaccurate data readings.
So, as you can see, the new technology available through 3-D laser scanners has increased efficiency and accuracy in the inspection process as well as promoting a more cost-effective method for inspecting. Rather than having highly specialized engineers wasting their time inspecting using CMM machines you can now organize their efforts in more needed areas like design and production.
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