The challenge of making precision parts these days can be truly formidable. Tolerances that would have almost defied your imagination years ago are now taken for granted every single day. Holding hole diameters to plus or minus .002″ and true positions to almost perfection are demanded these days by engineers to insure that their precision parts perform as intended without fail. And rightly so, because what engineer wants a part to fail on their watch???
AND, if you can hold these demanding tolerances then how can you prove it to yourself when you’re making them and that you are consistently holding these tolerances? This is where our expertise and precision equipment comes into play. Quality control managers, inspectors and operators all need to feel that what they need to check is completely accurate and consistently reproducible. If many precision parts are being run, it is imperative to make sure that none of the critical dimensions fall out o tolerance along the way. One mistake and thousands of parts made incorrectly means lost material, labor to make the precision parts and most importantly a later order delivery date for the customer. And nobody wants to let a customer down.
Digital Micrometers, Calipers, Gage Blocks, Pins, and Optical Comparators are helpful, but today much more than the basics are needed. Video Comparators that measure out to five decimal places and use cameras and light can certainly meet today’s need for Ultra-Precision measurements, but like any tool is has its strengths and limitations. Now, we have invested in a Keyence Handheld Probe Coordinate Measuring Machine. This allows us to check features and dimensions that would normally challenge the imagination. No need to cut parts in half now. Just run the probe and ultra-precision is insured. This machine has revolutionized how we approach checking certain part dimensions and allows us to guarantee results to customers, which is a must.
