RPD specialist arms itself for accuracy

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 4, 2004

To enhance its established part inspection procedure, rapid product development specialist 3T RPD has installed a Faro Gold Arm at its selective laser sintering facility in Newbury.

To enhance its established part inspection procedure, rapid product development specialist 3T RPD has installed a Faro Gold Arm at its selective laser sintering facility in Newbury.

3T already routinely inspects and measures every SLS prototype component it builds, producing verification paperwork that is shipped out with the part.

The Faro Arm now offers a far greater level of accuracy and ability to measure against the actual data supplied by clients, using the Power Inspect software alongside the Faro Arm.

A full inspection report can be produced in as little as 3-5 minutes - crucial in the fast moving environment that is rapid prototyping.

The requirement for accurate dimensional data on parts was driven by some of 3T's key customers, including the F1 industry, where there is no window for error during the racing season; data translation and accuracy of final part are critical to their success on the track.

Additionally, the Faro Arm gives 3T the ability to monitor the performance of its SLS machines.

With a suite of two EOS P700s, two EOS P360s and a DTM 2500 Plus, inspection of every build is paramount when providing consistent levels of accuracy in their prototypes, and enables preventive maintenance measures to be put in place.

Jon Porter, Operations Manager at 3T, says: "The Faro Arm is a significant addition to our capability and is one of the ongoing steps we are taking in achieving ISO9000".

"It is user friendly with minimal training and gives us the capability to undertake batch inspections as we move more towards rapid manufacturing".

Reverse engineering is another area where 3T has used the Faro Arm capabilities.

The initial step in their current Smart Car project was the acquisition of data using a FaroArm in conjunction with 3D Scanners.

The company scanned the whole front end of the car and subsequently supplied 3T with its Faro Arm.

The scanned data acquired from the Smart Car was imported into SolidWorks to allow the redesign of an entirely new front bonnet and side panels by Taeno Product Development.

These have been built in nylon using 3T's SLS technology, fitted onto the car and driven for over 1600km in real conditions - proving the functionality of the components in true working environments.

The Faro Arm delivers guaranteed measurement accuracy as low as +/-0.025mm, well inside that of the laser sintering process.

Its proprietary design technology integrates precision encoders to accurately measure the exact position of the probe tip regardless of the user's approach to the measured part or assembly.

Tim Plunkett, 3T's CEO adds: "Ongoing process development required that 3T had a better understanding of component accuracies being achieved through laser sintering".

"Combined with ever larger and more freeform parts coming from the P700's, 3T needed a flexible way to quickly correlate part dimensions back to the customer design data".

"Setup and programming times were a problem when looking at most conventional CMM systems leading to selection of Power Inspect/Faro as the preferred solution".

Initial results have been extremely positive and it is expected that overall component accuracy will gradually improve, as will customer confidence to the level that, upon receipt of their components, inspection will no longer be required.

This new capability addresses one frequently sited problem with RP; that the process is fast but the benefit is lost when the customer has to schedule parts through their own internal inspection department before use.