Quicker, Better Measurements Elevates Your Factory Floor – We live in a technologically-driven society, but the best innovations aren’t just for consumption. The manufacturing sector has relied on sophisticated, automated machinery to get better results for years.
With gradual improvements to things like coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), today’s manufacturers get equipment from industry leaders like CMMXYZ for better productivity than they would even just a few years ago. There are some functions that CMM machines will always outperform actual employees while also performing them faster and reducing human error.
Let’s take a look at how CMM machines have helped to improve North American manufacturing.
The Risk of Globalization
For decades, North America was the global hub of manufacturing. The Ford factory was famous the world over for churning out cars, creating the blueprint for the modern assembly line.
Then, globalization began to eat into North American manufacturing’s profitability, as companies started building parts in countries overseas with cheaper labour and fewer regulations. Manufacturing is an industry that evolves quickly, and factories here needed to adapt.
The solution? Automation.
Suddenly, North America had an answer for cheaper overseas labour. CMM machines played a big part in the resurgence of North American manufacturing by inspecting and assessing parts on the assembly line better and faster than human employees could.
Measuring Parts of All Sizes
Certain industries have tiny or massive parts. For example, smartphones require manufacturing tolerances of a few nanometres, while the aerospace industry builds planes and rockets that leave the planet’s orbit.
In both cases, the people building this equipment need precise measurements for difficult parts to measure.CMM machines have mechanical and mobile probes that measure the geometry of parts, but there are also no-touch sensors and scanners that are perfect for fragile or micro-size parts.
Not only do they get precise results, but a CMM machine will never damage the delicate parts.
CMM Machines Improving and Expanding
Today’s CMM machines do more than the machines of yesterday. For example, some of the latest software allows CMM machines to recognize when a part contains a flaw, and then it automatically alerts machines downstream on the assembly line.
Such an approach allows manufacturers to make an already streamlined and cost-saving process more effective. CMM machines were initially used to automate measurement solutions, but now they also identify machine malfunction on the assembly line via automation.
Finally, CMM machines are commonly used to reverse engineer products, troubleshoot, and produce quality assurance. CMM machines are now used to determine whether an aerospace product is fuel-efficient and its engine lightweight.
Rockets and planes have specifications they need to meet concerning sound and carbon emissions levels. CMM machines ensure compliance for various industries that need ultra-specific results.
Whatever your factory produces, if you require a modern measurement solution, a CMM machine can meet and even exceed your needs. Given how this equipment has improved and the new roles it can play on the assembly line, you can depend on a CMM machine to elevate your factory floor.