Under the sign of Industry 4.0

The trend towards Industry 4.0 continues this year. Systems are becoming faster, easier to automate and contactless systems in particular are experiencing a major upswing.

Microcoordinate measuring system
With the new μCMM, Alicona is presenting an optical micro-coordinate measuring system for the first time at Control, celebrating its world premiere.

The combination of a classical coordinate measuring machine and the optical surface metrology allows to measure mass, position, shape and roughness of components with only one sensor. The optical coordinate measuring machine offers high geometric accuracy, which allows the measurement of smallest surface details including precise determination of the position of the individual measurements to each other. The 3D accuracy according to ISO 10360-8 is E Uni:j:ODS,MPE = (0.8 + L/600) µm (L in mm).

According to Alicona, the spectrum of measurable surfaces includes all materials and composites commonly used in industry, such as plastics, PCD, CFRP, ceramics, chrome, silicon, etc.. Both matte and polished and reflective components can be measured. The measuring volume is 310 mm × 310 mm × 310 mm. Air-bearing axes with linear drive enable wear-free use. The lenses can be changed automatically.

New calibration body for optical and tactile systems
The new TOPIC calibration body "Arena" can be used, among other things, for efficient intermediate tests according to ISO 10360-1 of micro-coordinate measuring machines. The test body consists of optically cooperative spheres with a high shape accuracy. Due to the systematic arrangement in space, it is possible to determine the required parameters of an intermediate as well as acceptance and confirmation test according to ISO 10360-1 with only one clamping.

This calibration body was developed through the successful cooperation of Saphirwerk AG, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology METAS, the NTB Interstate University of Applied Sciences Buchs and the industrial partners ETA SA and SFS intec.

Werth Interferometer Probe WIP
With conventional optical sensors, narrow and low-lying features, such as air gaps on electric motors, are often not measurable. Laser distance sensors, chromatic focus sensors and confocal sensors, for example, fail due to the aperture of the lenses and often the working distance is too short to detect the features without collision. With the Werth Interferometer Probe (WIP), Werth has a high-precision optical fiber sensor in its portfolio that enables measurement via interference.

The measuring probe is a light-conducting glass fiber with a standard diameter of 125 μm. Smaller diameters are also possible. The probe geometry can be individually adapted to the requirements of the measurement task, e.g. straight or angled probes are possible. The grinding of the probe determines the exit angle of the measuring beam between 0° and 90°. Probes with a 90° angle are used, for example, to measure the lateral surfaces of small bores.

The RS version of the WIP enables high-precision roundness measurement with a rotatable probe. With this, only the geometry-corrected sensor rotation axis is moved. This allows roundness measurements with measurement deviations of about 100 nm. Alternatively, the probe can be moved on a circular path during rotation with the Cartesian axes of the coordinate measuring machine and thus also measure larger geometry elements.

Software for the determination of the measurement uncertainty (VCMM)
A complete measurement result always includes a measurement uncertainty in addition to the measured value. This is an essential component of quality assurance, since without the measurement uncertainty an assessment of the tolerances is not possible. The ever increasing automation in the course of Industry 4.0 also requires an automation of the determination of the measurement uncertainty. Since the beginning of the 1990s, PTB has been developing a so-called "Virtual Coordinate Measuring Machine" (VCMM). Since then, this has been adapted and optimized to modern measurement technology.

The determination of the measurement uncertainty of a complex 3D measurement task with the aid of Monte Carlo simulations is a time- and cost-efficient method. To determine the measurement uncertainty, a large number of repeat measurements are simulated with the aid of a computer in the VCMM. The measurements are simulated in a virtual environment. For this purpose, recorded measurement points are varied according to specified probability distributions and input parameters, thus forming a realistic point cloud. These data are now evaluated in the same way as the first real measurement. A statistical statement can now be made by repeating this process several times.

In order to verify the current version of the VCMM (incl. scanning) as a method for the determination of the task-specific measurement uncertainty, PTB performed coordinated comparison measurements. This is an important step towards the early verification of the VCMM so that it can be used in measurement laboratories and accredited calibration laboratories for the determination of the measurement uncertainty.

GOM computer tomograph
With the help of computed tomography (CT), measurements are already possible today that can no longer be covered with other measurement principles. For example, components manufactured by means of additive manufacturing, whose internal structures are neither tactile nor optically accessible, can be measured.

The company GOM also now offers computer tomography and has thus entered the field rather late. A 5-axis kine-matics system ensures automated component positioning. The system is calibrated via photogrammetric calibration in all possible measuring positions. Another feature is that the air circulation inside the CT ensures that the same temperature prevails in the working area as in the storage area outside the CT. This allows controlled temperature conditions without the need for costly air conditioning inside the CT scanner. The data is evaluated with the GOM Inspect software, which has also been able to handle CT data from other manufacturers since last year.

CT system with integrated climate chamber
With the Diondo in-situ CT, workpieces can be examined under realistic operating conditions. Automotive manufacturers, for example, benefit from this combined method: The high energy density of the Li-ion batteries used for electric mobility raises safety-relevant questions: How does the temperature affect the internal structure and geometry? What is the behavior at long
persistently high or low temperatures or strong temperature fluctuations? In-situ CT provides a high-resolution view into the interior of the battery. This is done at temperatures from -72 to +180 °C.