Rotherham-based Magtec is a leading supplier of electric drive systems and specialist hybrid solutions, and counts gearboxes, generators, power controllers, battery systems and condition monitoring systems among its product range.

The company designs, develops, manufactures, and installs electric drive systems and components across a wide range of transport types. Vehicles currently using the company’s advanced systems include, heavy goods, buses, off-road multi-wheeled and tracked defence vehicles and bespoke specialist vehicles.

To enable the business, which was established in 1992, to significantly scale-up its production volumes and to meet ever-rising domestic and international demand for its technologies, Magtec recently moved into a new 64,706ft² site located at Templeborough, near Rotherham.

The impressive facility will allow the company to consolidate its processes and cover the full design, manufacture and integration of its world-leading drive systems. The recent move saw the number of people employed by Magtec rise from 125 to 155 people and the business continues to recruit across all engineering and operational disciplines.

Magtec’s electric vehicle (EV) technology enjoys an excellent reputation for its reliability. To ensure the continuation of its premium quality standards, the business administers a rigorous, company-wide quality control regime and makes use of a range of advanced inspection aids. The latest addition to Magtec’s collection of high-tech measuring equipment is an advanced Mitutoyo CRYSTA-Apex S Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM).

Final inspection routines
Magtec head of quality Tom Dalgliesh said: “In addition to having an outstanding reputation for the efficiency of the advanced technologies that we provide, we also enjoy an excellent reputation for the premium quality of our products. As well as our production personnel performing regular in-process checks, our quality staff carry out thorough final inspection routines before our products and systems are despatched.

“When the need arose for a high-precision CNC CMM, in addition to considering the potential machine’s precision standards, mindful of our rapidly increasing production volumes, we also considered factors such as speed and ease of use. As it satisfied all of our accuracy and efficiency requirements, and as we were aware of the excellent reputation of Mitutoyo CMMs, we chose a Mitutoyo CRYSTA-Apex S CMM with an X/Y/Z measuring capacity of 900 x 1,000 x 600mm.

“Now installed in our temperature-controlled inspection department, the CRYSTA-Apex S is delivering the high levels of precision that we need. Also, because of its impressive speed of operation and fast acceleration, not only is our new Mitutoyo CMM able to keep pace with our current output levels, it will also be able to cope with the massive rises in production and the increased amount of inspection work that we anticipate.

“Having written a large number of part programs, we are now able to load single large components or large batches of smaller parts onto the Mitutoyo CMM’s bed, recall the relevant programs and start rapid, automated CNC inspection routines. It helps our inspection efficiencies that, while the unmanned inspection of multiple parts is taking place, our operators’ time is released for other quality control tasks.

“At the end of each measuring routine, when appropriate we are able to use the Statistical Process Control (SPC) data generated by the CMM to provide valuable feed-back that enables the fine-tune of our production and assembly functions. In addition, all of our inspection results are archived.”

Mitutoyo CMMs are available across a wide range of size and accuracy classes and are able to cover practically all precision 3-D measuring applications. In addition, Mitutoyo UK provide first-class levels of CMM training and service support.

To enable users’ inspection operations to keep-pace with today’s fast-paced production speeds, Mitutoyo’s feature-rich, yet easy-to-use CMM analysis and reporting software ensures that all measurement results are quickly interpreted. Also, if required, comprehensive inspection reports can be automatically generated.

Inspection efficiency
The Mitutoyo CRYSTA-Apex S model, as purchased by Magtec, is an advance CNC CMM that meets global standards. In addition to boasting an impressive accuracy specification, CRYSTA-Apex S Series CMMs deliver impressive levels of inspection efficiency. For example, the high-performance machines deliver a maximum drive speed of 693mm/sec and a maximum acceleration of 2,309mm/sec².

To ensure excellent levels of rigidity, a range of advanced, robust structures are employed in CRYSTA-Apex S Series CMMs. The CMM’s Y-axis guide rails are integrated into one side of the machine’s granite surface plate, ensuring minimum deterioration and prolonged accuracy levels.

Also, air bearings are located on the underside, front, and upper surfaces of the CMM’s X-axis slider units which minimise vibration, even during high-speed, high-acceleration movement, and ensures stable linear motion.

CRYSTA-Apex S CMMs are equipped with an advanced temperature compensation system that guarantees the accuracy of measurement results under temperature conditions of 16 to 26deg C. In addition to providing high-precision results in temperature controlled quality department, thanks to the CMM’s temperature compensation system CRYSTA-Apex S models are also able to deliver first-class levels of precision on the shopfloor.

CRYSTA-Apex S CMMs use Mitutoyo’s easy-to-use MCOSMOS modular software which allows users to quickly organise, execute, calculate and report all findings. MCOSMOS boasts multiple useful features, if required the software enables measurement programs to be organised on networks, while results can be archived in a range of formats including PDF, XLS and HTML.

Commands and instructions can be added to guide operators through their inspection routines. Inspection reports that meet individual customers’ needs can be created. Other useful MCOSMOS elements includes a comprehensive Statistical Process Control (SPC) package.