Today Senator Charles Schumer visited Dorsey Metrology plant, in Poughkeepsie, NY. Below are some picture from his visit. Please subscribe to RSS feed to read more. Full article coming soon.
Senator Schumer at Dorsey Metrology
February 17th, 2010
MD&M West Trade Show
February 12th, 2010Dorsey Metrology is Is one of exibitors at MD&M West trade show. Visit out booth to see complete range of inspection devices that we manufacture.
Organized by Canon communications at Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, United States of America, the MD&M West is 3 days event which is directed towards showcasing various emerging aspects about the latest advances of medical world.
Quality department in manufacturing process
June 30th, 2009
- Image via Wikipedia
As manufacturers strive for six sigma manufacturing processes, and zero defects, the roll of the quality department has significantly changed. Quality departments must now become actively involved in the manufacturing process from engineering to product packing and shipment. Optical non-contact and hybrid optical/contact inspection systems will provide the tools necessary for quality managers to accomplish this formidable task. Computerization of these systems allows integration of Statistical Process Control (SPC) software packages directly on the inspection instrument. These computerized instruments are capable of being networked so that documentation control and maintenance are automatic and paperless. These computerized optical inspection instruments can and will be connected via the network to the engineering department’s computer aided design (CAD) system. This enables the quality department to download and import product part prints for automated programming of inspection routines. It will also allow the quality department to export and upload actual inspection results in CAD format for the engineering department to review. In addition, traditional contact style production gages, such as snap gages or bore gages, can be integrated via SPC connections into the inspection package to provide a complete quality solution.
The future of Optical Inspection Instruments
As optical inspection technology matures, is further automated, and coupled with other inspection technologies these fully automated instruments will be completely integrated with the manufacturing line. Complex inspection systems will be able to inspect a manufacturing process on line while the parts are being manufactured. Optical inspection instruments are a non-contact form of measurement that will allow the inspection of a part while the part is actually moving and being machined on the machine tool. Automated communication between the inspection instrument and the machine tool will close the loop and provide the machine tool with the necessary offsets and adjustments required meet the goal of any manufacturing process – to manufacture a virtually perfect part, every time.
Optical inspection technology
June 24th, 2009
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One of the major traditional faults of an optical inspection instrument is the subjectivity of the operator. It has a very drastic consequence on the measurement. The differences between the operators are commonplace as it is up to the device operator to determine where the feature being inspected begins and ends. The recent advent of the optical edge finder available on both optical comparators and video systems has eliminated this drawback. Edge finding systems also allow a control computer attached to the measurement system to automatically detect a feature. This capability enabled instrument manufacturers to fully automate these instruments. Full computer numeric controlled, motorized inspection instruments that entirely eliminate operator subjectivity are now available. Major cost reductions in electronics and system standardization has allowed the price of these full CNC systems to be reduced to a point where just about every manufacturer can afford one. Edge finding systems which were optional and cost thousands of dollars only a few years ago have now become standard equipment on many models. Many other changes have occurred within the inspection industry within the last decade. As manufacturing tolerances decrease the accuracy and resolution of the instruments used to control manufacturing must follow. The typical measurement resolution of an optical inspection instrument has increased tremendously within the last 9 years – from .0005” about 9 years ago to .00005” today. Miniaturization of electronics has allowed video inspection technology to become increasingly cost and feature competitive with optical comparators. Within the last decade the cost of video system technology has decreased by a factor of 12x while the features and benefits of these systems have actually increased. Integration of desktop PCs as the primary processing platform with inspection instruments has increased the capabilities and features of these systems as well as given inspectors the ability to document their products. Processing speeds of these systems have increased by a factor of 15 in just the past 6 years. Future reductions in costs and integration of computers into these optical inspection instruments will certainly increase the speed and versatility of these instruments. Traditional optical inspection instruments are being coupled with contact measurement devices such as touch probes. These hybrid instruments can take advantage of both contact and non-contact measurement solutions to rapidly inspect virtually any desired feature.
Types of optical inspection instruments
June 12th, 2009
Optical inspection instruments can be put into four basic categories. Optical comparators, microscopes, video and laser systems.
Optical comparators utilize traditional optics to magnify and project the image of an object onto a glass screen. This type of optical inspection instrument is by far the most widely used and is also the least expensive method of optical non-contact inspection in use today. The optical comparator also offers the greatest versatility in regard to parts that can be inspected. Light weight parts as well as parts weighing 100s of pounds can be inspected on many available instruments. The development of the optical edge finder eliminated the subjectivity of the operator from the measurement and also allowed the system to become fully automated. Optical comparators are available in a wide variety of styles and configurations from domestic as well as international manufacturers. Typical options are – projection screen sizes from 10” to 80”, horizontal or vertical light path configurations, profile and surface illumination systems, various stage travel options, magnifications from 5x to 200x and digital readout options from a basic two axis display to fully computerized automatic CNC systems. Accuracy and repeatability of instruments currently available on the market today can vary depending upon the feature being inspected but can be expected to be within +/- .00010” under certain conditions.
Video systems utilizing a magnification lens and camera are relatively new to the mainstream inspection instrument market. Although these systems are typically more expensive than optical comparators and offer less versatility with regard to the size and weight of parts that can be inspected. These shortfalls are often more than offset by the advantages that this type of system can offer. Vision systems, which are generally small and compact, are better suited for relatively lightweight and or flat parts. Camera and computer advancements have allowed the offering of magnifications in the 1x-1300x range and some systems actually offer full three axis measurements under CNC control. Video edge detection is also available that eliminates operator subjectivity from the measurement process. The image digitization process utilized by video systems also allows for computer manipulation and storage of the image being displayed. With the addition of a printer and driver a video inspection system can actually print out a pictorial view of the part being inspected for documentation purposes. Due to the specialized staging, computer manipulation of lighting, image processing and the extremely high magnifications available, the accuracy and repeatability of some vision systems can be expected to be within +/- .00005 under certain conditions.
Inspection microscopes utilize traditional optics to magnify a desired detail. Many inspection microscopes today are coupled with a video system to offer the inspector the versatility of manual optical inspection as well as automated video inspection. Microscopes are generally best suited to inspect lightweight and or flat parts.
The latest development in optical inspection instruments are Laser inspection instruments which offer the greatest accuracy of any type of optical inspection instrument. Accuracy and repeatability within +/-.0000010 under certain conditions can be expected. This type of instrument reflects a laser beam from a detail being inspected and determines distances using time delay calculations. This extremely specialized method of measurement requires fixturing to locate the laser device as well as substantial setup time to align the instrument. Laser inspection instruments are best suited for specialized production inspection or calibration applications.
History of optical inspection instruments
June 9th, 2009
- Image via Wikipedia
The basic principle of an optical gaging instrument is to provide a method to inspect a desired feature with versatile way of non-contact gaging. This enables manufacturers the ability to inspect a wide variety of parts without the need for complex fixtures. This non-contact method of inspection allows an inspector to view a desired feature using the magnification ability of optics. Optical inspection instruments allow to determine characteristics such as size, shape, location or surface finish.
The first type of optical inspection instruments were developed to enhance the ability of the human eye to see certain aspects of an object. These simple lenses magnified an image that allowed the user to discern features unable to be seen by the naked eye. These basic magnifiers allowed an inspector to view and compare an object but did not allow the object or feature to be accurately measured. Accurate measurement requires that the object or feature being observed be compared to a standard of known size. The first application of this principle was called a shadow graph. This instrument used a lamp to project a two dimensional image of the object being observed on a flat surface. The shadow could then be measured with a known standard, for example – a ruler to determine its size. By placing a magnification lens in the path of the image being projected the inspector was able to enhance or magnify the image that enabled greater clarity of certain features. These simple shadow graphs often projected the image onto a grid of known size where the operator could determine the size of an object by simply counting the number of squares the shadow of the object occupied and then dividing that by the magnification of the objective lens. Overlay charts were also developed which allowed the operator to compare the shadow projected to a picture drawn of the feature being inspected. Often this overlay was two images drawn to allow rapid determination of a feature size or shape. One image drawn to the minimum allowable size of the part’s tolerance while the other was drawn to the features maximum allowable size. The operator could quickly determine whether the part is good or bad by simply inspecting the screen to insure that the shadow is between these two lines. This type of comparison allowed an inspector to determine if a part is in or out of tolerance but was not readily adaptable for inspecting a wide variety of parts and shapes.
Manual micrometer heads were then fitted to stages or tables that slid along the horizontal and vertical axes of the machine. This allowed the versatility to directly inspect feature size or location without the use of a special overlay chart or grid. The inspector would line up one edge of the shadow being projected on a screen cross line and then move the stage micrometer to the other end of the shadow. The distance that the stage traveled is the dimension of the part. With this principle applied to both X and Y axes optical comparators were able to measure any two dimensional feature that is projected on the screen.
The major turning point in optical gaging came about when instrument manufacturers replaced manual micrometer heads with electronic encoders and digital readouts. Electronic encoders mounted to the stage sent a signal to a digital readout that decodes the signal and displays the distance and direction that the stage traveled. The first digital readouts simply displayed the X and Y location of the stage. With the application of microprocessor technology to the digital readout, geometric principles are applied to calculate features such as angles, radii and relative position to further enhance the capabilities of the optical instrument.
At about this same time video technology was developed which allowed the replacement of the standard projection system with a lens and camera system. The part being inspected is digitized, manipulated and displayed on a TV style monitor. Recent developments and improvements in this technology have seen the ability to measure in all three dimensions as the “Z” or focus axis can now be automatically controlled.
Dorsey’s precision tools at Eastec trade show
May 7th, 2009From May 19th until May 21st Dorsey Metrology will be an exhibitor at Eastec trade show. Eastec is the largest annual manufacturing event on east coast. The Eastec trade show is put on by The Society of Manufacturing Engineers. The trade show is located in West Springfield MA. Eastec is where you will get valuable insights into new technologies. For nearly 30 years Eastec has been bringing together around 14000 manufacturers, engineers, managers and owners from entire northeastern region industry leaders.
Dorsey, as leading manufacturer of precision instruments will be displaying nearly the entire line of measurement tools, including bore and snap gages, large diameter gages, dial indicators as well as optical comparators. We are looking to evaluate advanced technologies, new production methods and new business strategies. Eastec is a great opportunity to find new business partners and new customers.
Dorsey booth will be located in Youth building #3, booth #3316
