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Nasmyth Arden specializes in the machining of large aluminium components for the aerospace industry. These components, crafted from billets, castings, and forgings, are primarily electronic and electrical control (EEC) cases, which are crucial as they protect the ‘brains’ of an aircraft’s engine.
The nature of Nasmyth Arden’s work demands a 100% inspection rate, meaning each component needs to pass under a meticulous quality control process. The complex prismatic machined parts feature hundreds of threaded inserts. The manual task of inspecting each one was tedious and prone to inaccuracies.
Due to the exacting needs of their work, Nasmyth Arden desired to automate their measurement process to ensure consistent, accurate, and efficient results.
Harjit Bhurjee stated, “Put simply, we had to automate the process. The only people who could get close to what we wanted were OGP® UK. As soon as we saw what could be achieved using the Smartscope® Flash™, we signed on the dotted line.”
Nasmyth Arden decided to purchase an OGP SmartScope Flash 500 multisensor measurement solution to achieve efficient, reliable, and quality inspection of their components.
The SmartScope Flash 500 is a high-specification measuring machine designed for automatic inspection of components in even the most challenging environments. Its high accuracy levels and multisensor functionality includes video, laser, and touch probe sensors. The multisensor configuration enables unmanned inspection and facilitates high throughput of components.
Bhurjee further reported, “There are many different features on the cases to be measured and these were taking two hours in some instances on our CMM. Using the Smartscope Flash we can measure each side in just six minutes, without any detriment to accuracy.”
A key advantage of the OGP SmartScope Flash machine lies in the user-friendly software interface. Nasmyth Arden capitalized on the exceptional training services provided by OGP UK’s service engineers, enabling their own apprentices to learn how to use the system effectively.
Peter Stevenson, Nasmyth Arden explained, “I’ve had two sets of two-day training from OGP UK … the Measure-X® metrology software is very simple to use. I can program a typical case for insert checking within 40 minutes, before walking away to do something else while it runs through its six- or seven-minute inspection cycle. The machine is great for first-offs because I can measure while I program, whereas a CMM would need a CAD model. The OGP Smartscope has taken a lot of work from our CMM and more is set to follow.”
Overall the company benefited from a significant reduction in inspection and measurement cycle times, taking a two-hour task on a conventional CMM down to a few minutes.
The SmartScope Flash system is now responsible for the automated inspection of threaded inserts in all of Nasmyth Arden’s large EEC cases. It checks for the undesired presence of insert tangs and performs comprehensive dimensional measurements, a big upgrade from their previous CMM technology.
