Bowers Group supplied voestalpine Rotec Ltd with a Trimos V5 vertical measuring instrument, which can either be manually operated or motor driven. Whist the company have existing Trimos Mini Verticals used solely for measuring height, the Trimos V5 universal height gauge is perfect for lab use and the measurement requirements of the company. In addition, the Trimos V5 can be used with software that transfers the measurement data straight to a computer, and then easily displayed in Microsoft Power Point or Excel, or sent directly to the printer. This can be imported directly into the bespoke software for calculating machine capability, etc.
voestalpine Rotec Ltd Kaizen Manager Keith Wileman said:
“The Trimos V5 has been an excellent investment for the business. Not only does the Trimos have good capabilities for performing different measurement tasks it is the accuracy and repeatability of this device which has undoubtedly been a factor in us purchasing the equipment.
The Trimos has enabled us to make huge improvements to processes with regard to both capacity and time. For example, a measurement that may have taken 30 minutes to complete previously can now be completed in approximately 3 minutes. The Trimos is easy to use and has enabled us to train operators to use which is a huge benefit. Also it allows us alternative methods of measurement.”
As a Global Organisation, voestalpine Rotec Ltd supplies a variety of global automotive OEMs, Tier One and Tier Two suppliers. As process and materials specialists, the company works closely with customers to develop product solutions that meet high quality standards, and strongly believes in continuous improvement and innovative thinking.
Some of the automotive parts that voestalpine Rotec Ltd manufactures include formed press work, welded assemblies, brace works, and suspension brackets. The company manufactures parts for leading off highway vehicles, global automotive companies, and titanium bicycle frames for Brompton bicycles.
Due to the complexity of components manufactured at Voestalpine, measurements may be required for a variety of dimensions including; height, diameter, hole centres, pitch, flatness, and squareness. Components are typically manufactured using a laser, with complex dimensions that are notoriously difficult to measure. It is important to maximise the laser for cutting during manufacture and lengthy measurement processes required for each component impact on machine efficiencies.
Before the Trimos V5 Height Gauge, operators at voestalpine Rotec Ltd would have to move away from the machines use the linear gauge and shadowgraph instruments then back to their workstations. First off measurements would be taken, and then adjustments would be made to the component as needed, which then require further measurement. Understandably, the company desperately needed a multi-use piece of measuring equipment; to fully maximise machine efficiencies.
Particularly intricate components manufactured by voestalpine Rotec Ltd may have over 20 individual holes and slots, which could take operators a considerable amount of time to measure. In addition of line processes such as layout inspection it is incredibly time consuming. Quality Engineers typically recorded measurements manually, which involved writing down several measurements and then typing it all up later, this all added to the possibilities of human error.
Keith Wileman continued:
“The automatic recording of measurement data has been a major impact in reducing time spent by quality engineers filling out results and has removed the possibility of human error. Also its ease of use were important considerations in the purchasing of the Trimos V5. The data acquired from the Trimos V5 has also enabled us to generate automatic spreadsheets as supporting documents that satisfy customer requirements on the part approval process.”
Bowers Group also supplied voestalpine Rotec Ltd with blue tooth equipped hand tools; the Sylvac S_Mic Pro Blue Tooth Micrometer set (0 -102mm) and the Sylvac S_Cal Digital Calipers (200mm) to fulfil their other measurement needs.