Product category:
Form/co-ordinate, optical and vision instrumentation
News Release from: Vision Engineering | Subject: Metro-Form
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 26 March 2003
Novel measurement solution for blind
cavities
Metro-Form is an innovative new product that allows internal measurements to be made without destroying the test piece.
tMetro-Form from Vision Engineering is an innovative new product that allows internal measurements to be made without destroying the test piece The silicon based polymer can be injected into blind holes, cavities and thread forms, allowing the flexible moulding to be easily removed and measured using noncontact gauging equipment
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 14 Apr 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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When accurately gauging an internal dimension, conventional metrology techniques often demand that the test piece is destroyed so that the key features can be seen visually.
This technique will allow for accurate measurement but the sectioned component is then useless and must be scrapped, even though the measured values may prove that it was correctly dimensioned.
A new solution to this old problem is Metro-Form, an extremely stable polymer that accurately adopts the shape of an internal cavity or bore.
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Metro-Form is available as a moulding kit, containing everything necessary to form a cavity moulding.
The applicator gun automatically mixes the silicon compound with the hardening agent, delivering the mixture through a range of nozzle sizes and shapes.
A putty is also provided to block off open channels and to create a grip point to remove the moulding from the component.
Because the moulding is flexible it can be pulled from the component without permanent distortion or damage.
Once free, the moulding will return to the cavity's original shape to within 0.04% in any dimension.
This means that internal features can be replicated to a high degree of accuracy.
To accommodate a wide variety of moulding forms, three types of silicon compound are available.
These can be mixed together to cover different features within the same component.
The green compound is the softest, ideal where maximum flexibility is required.
For example, if the cavity to be checked is wider internally than the exit port, the green compound can be readily manipulated through the port hole.
The red compound is hardest and will produce a more rigid moulding where removal is more straightforward.
The entire moulding process takes less than 30min, after which time the internal moulding can be removed.
It can be measured using a noncontact measuring system such as the Kestrel or Hawk.
The silicon moulding test piece can be sectioned or viewed directly, without the need to scrap test components, valuable for sample measurements and in cases where prototype components are in short supply.
Metro-Form kits and consumables (silicon cartridges, replacement nozzles and putty) are available from the international network of Vision Engineering branches and their network of distributors. Request a free brochure from Vision Engineering ...
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