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Automated on-machine thickness measurement

Posted on 22 Feb 2016. Edited by: John Hunter. Read 2676 times.
Automated on-machine thickness measurementFurthering its capabilities in the high-speed milling of aluminium, Starrag UK Ltd, Birmingham (www.starrag.com), has introduced its Sonic Eye for the automatic in-cycle measurement of workpiece ‘floor’ thickness, thereby eliminating the need to undertake this type of measurement as an off-machine process and then re-locate workpieces if further machining is required.

The Sonic Eye is loaded like a standard tool from the tool magazine, with all measured data saved and available for documentation and later machining operations.

It features an HSK A63/80 spindle interface (to suit the high-speed Scharmann Ecospeed machining centre), plus spring suspension to ensure perpendicular alignment to the measured surface. The Sonic Eye uses radio transmission to relay measurement data to the machine’s CNC system.

The data is simultaneously correlated with measuring points detailed in the control system’s NC program, and the resulting measured thickness for each measuring point can be tabulated for export into Microsoft Excel.

Sonic Eye is the latest technical feature to further enhance the high-speed machining capabilities of Ecospeed machines, which routinely transform four-tonne billets of aluminium into complex structural aerospace parts weighing just 120kg in less than 20hr.