The new, highly innovative Hommel Etamic Roundscan range is available exclusively in the UK and Ireland from Metrology Direct. It meets market demand for a combined form, roughness and twist measurement system. The slightest deviation in the form and surface roughness of a machined part from its design parameters can significantly affect performance. The sub-micron measurements that can be undertaken with Roundscan will provide information on the quality of the part and the overall quality of the production process, allowing improvements to be made.
Roundscan is designed for fast and accurate measurement of a diverse range of parts from small intricate through to large components up to 100Kg in weight. Highly precise measurement of form and roughness requires a measuring system with a high resolution and maximum accuracy of all the axes. Roundscan’s rotary measuring table is on an air bearing, running on a wear free cushion of air, providing a high roundness accuracy of 20 nanometres. The rigidity of the table is also claimed to be some ten times greater than tables with conventional air bearings.
Key to the versatility of Roundscan is its FT3 probing system that can measure form, roughness and twist – of growing importance for parts such as gear shafts – without changing the measurement stylus. There are two different stylus tips: ruby ball for form and diamond tip for roughness measurement. The probing system can be switched from form to roughness under CNC control without changing stylus tips. Since the form and roughness measurement runs are combined, no operator intervention is necessary. The CNC controlled rotation and tilt module for the probe can position the stylus tips anywhere on the workpiece, including inside and outside, so that all measurement positions can be probed automatically in one measurement run.
With three fully CNC controlled measuring axes, Roundscan can undertake the measurement of all common form and roughness parameters automatically. Its fully automatic centring and levelling system reduces alignment times by as much as 60%, compared with conventional measurement systems. The probe also features an indispensable collision protection feature.
A further advantage of Roundscan is its standard Turbo Form software interface. This provides the operator with a simple means of carrying out the most complex measuring tasks using user-friendly interface icons and simple CNC programming through pictograms. Turbo Form gives simple definitions of measurement positions, axis references and fully automatic alignment of parts to prevent angular errors. Users can incorporate their own drawings or photographs for reference. The user interface can be customised for any specific test measurement plan and the system can offer an unlimited choice of measuring programs and reports either on screen or printed out. Many additional software options are also available for special measurement tasks.
Three Roundscan models are available in the new range with vertical X-axes of 350, 550 or 900mm and maximum test diameters of 450 and 550mm depending on model. Measuring and traverse speeds range from 0.2mm-50mm/second and are controlled in the CNC program. For more information contact Metrology Direct Ltd, Unit 8 The Glenmore Centre, Waterwells Business Park, Quedgeley, Gloucester, GL2 2AP Tel: +44 (0) 1452 725241, Fax: +44 (0) 1452 883971, Email: sales@metrology-direct.com
