CMMs in widespread use for ejection seat parts
A
Mitutoyo (UK) product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jul 12, 2001
To ensure the thousands of safety-critical components in each Martin Baker ejection seat are manufactured to the strictest tolerances, Mitutoyo CMMs fully inspect mechanical parts prior to assembly
To ensure the thousands of safety-critical components in each Martin Baker ejection seat are manufactured to within the strictest tolerances, Mitutoyo co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are employed to inspect fully mechanical parts prior to assembly.
With over 250 customers worldwide, Martin-Baker Aircraft Company has to date supplied over 69,000 ejection seats for a total of 87 air-forces.
Customer requirements vary for different conditions of use.
For example, the terrain over which the aircraft are to be flown determines the survival pack contents of each seat.
Different contents are used for flying over the desert to one where the aircraft will be predominantly flying over the sea, when a life raft is incorporated.
BHN 504 and BHN 506 models were the first CMMs to be purchased by Martin-Baker from Mitutoyo about five years ago, to replace two old Ferranti machines.
The company soon realised how easy it was to use the Mitutoyo machines, prompting further purchases of two Euro-C Apex 9166 machines in 1998, followed by two Euro-C Apex 9106 machines in 1999.
With a large measuring range, combined with high movement speed, the Euro-C Apex 9106 and 9166 machines combine integrated, fully digitised CNC control, automatic temperature compensation and high precision, having an accuracy of U1:(2.9+0.4L/100)um, with a resolution of 0.0005mm.
The versatility and ease of operation of the Mitutoyo CMMs enables four programmers to write complete programs for the components produced at Martin-Baker.
This allows a team of 12 inspectors to operate the machines by simply entering the part number of the component to be inspected - the machines then automatically carry out a full inspection of the part.
Inspection Supervisor at Martin-Baker, Jim Kelly, commented, "With the newer machines the operators don't need to know a great deal about the machine they are using - it takes over for them.
The service has also been excellent.".
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