API Re-Levels Moving Gantry, Improves Performance After Installation

11 January 2024 · 3 min read

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API Re-Levels Moving Gantry, Improves Performance After Installation

Services Team Improves Performance 91% After Cell Phone Leveling

It’s easy to overlook maintenance on a brand-new machine tool. If it has just been installed, the expectation is that the tool will work without incident for at least the first several months to a year. The installation process, however, can be a source of early errors in machine tool performance. When one of our customers called us to discuss errors in a new machine tool that had been leveled by a cell phone app during installation, the team at API Services knew that installation could very well be the source of the error. API Services’ experienced metrologists were able to use the Radian Laser Tracker and XD Laser to:

Identify .060” misalignment across the rails
Verify the machine in a single interferometer setup
Correct error parameters by over 91% in the X axis

We expect our purchases to work without incident from the time we purchase them for a substantial period of time. And for capital equipment buying that requires a significant investment, the expected working period is even longer. A Hewlett-Packard Company study in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, however, revealed that 88% of 57 machines were out of specification upon installation. That is 50 out of 57 machines. These findings suggest that even for brand new machines, a fresh installation could actually hinder performance more than it helps.

There are many reasons why machines can fall out of specification, even at installation, ranging from uneven foundation, mounting and alignment, and temperature conditions on the shop floor. Regardless of the cause, it is always best to have machine tool performance verified after installation, even for new tools that are well within warranty concerns.

The team at API Services has experience with correcting these errors. We received a call from a customer who had some concerns over a new Anderson Stratos Pro 3 Axis Moving Gantry they had purchased and had installed for cutting plywood for Aerospace manufacturing. The customer reported that the technician setting up the machine used a smart phone to check the level. Smart phones are marvels of modern engineering, but the best methods for ensuring machine tool performance still require high-precision dimensional metrology equipment.

API Services took on the customer’s request and developed a two-pronged plan to not only correct the initial leveling errors, but also error map the gantry to guarantee its accuracy post-leveling. They dispatched Brian James, one of their most experienced Metrology Technicians, onsite with the state-of-the-art Radian Laser Tracker and XD Laser Interferometer. Brian got to work, first setting up Radian to ascertain the level of the gantry and correct any errors. Brian found the gantry was .060” out of level across the rails. Using Radian’s measurements, Brian was able to work with customer’s engineers to correct the leveling errors that took place at installation.

Once the machine was properly leveled, Brian moved onto the second prong of API Services’ plan. Brian prepared the XD Laser Interferometer to check each axis of the gantry for errors (either from the installation or other environmental causes). Typically, new machine performance is not error-prone, but in a single XD setup, Brian was able to diagnose and compensate for errors in the X, Y, and Z axis of the gantry. In the X axis alone, errors were reduced by over 91%, and the Y and Z axes showed 65% and 72% respectively.

API Services’ unique combination of highly experienced metrologists from every manufacturing environment and world-class first-party equipment allowed them to deliver fast, comprehensive error correction to a customer looking to protect a serious investment, saving them hours and money in scrapped parts that need to be re-machined.

Radian Laser Trackers are the smallest, lightest, most accurate Laser Trackers available, and their internal leveling system and smart target accessory options made them ideal for not only part inspection and jig/fixture/tooling, but for calibration and verification processes as well. XD Laser is the only assessment system that can measure all 6 error parameters simultaneously in a single set-up, and XD can perform corrections in real-time by integrating with all major machine tool controllers to upload updated error maps. First invented by API CEO and Founder, Dr. Kam Lau, Radian and XD have been providing efficient measurement solutions to the manufacturing world for nearly 30 years.

If you’ve recently had a machine tool installed, and want to verify its leveling and performance, please fill out the form below to speak to an experienced API Metrologist, or click here to learn more about the full-range of measurement options API Services offers to support all production processes.

– Radar

Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) emits microwave pulses and measures the time for echoes to return. Because radio waves have long wavelengths, radar devices can detect objects at great distances and through fog, rain or dust. They are widely used in aviation, weather monitoring and speed‑enforcement. Radar systems provide a long range but lower spatial resolution compared with LiDAR . This lower resolution arises from the larger wavelength and beam divergence; as a result radar cannot pinpoint features smaller than several centimetres.

(source:wevolver.com)

– LiDAR

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses pulsed laser light to measure distance. Because it operates at optical wavelengths, LiDAR can produce very high‑resolution 3D point clouds. It is the backbone of autonomous vehicles and aerial mapping. LiDAR systems generally have a shorter to medium range but offer high spatial resolution, enabling detailed 3D mapping

LiDAR’s ability to capture millions of points quickly makes it ideal for applications such as autonomous driving and surveying. For manufacturing metrology, LiDAR is useful for creating digital twins of large objects or structures. However, typical LiDAR accuracy (millimetre to sub‑millimetre) is not sufficient for tight‑tolerance inspections that require micron‑level precision. Therefore, LiDAR still falls short for high‑precision metrology in aerospace and automotive manufacturing.

– Laser Radar

Laser radar is often used to describe high‑precision laser time‑of‑flight systems. It uses a narrow, focused laser beam and measures not only the time of flight but also the angles of the incoming beam to compute precise coordinates. Laser radar systems can achieve micron‑level precision but typically operate over shorter ranges and at slower scanning speeds compared with LiDAR. Laser radar system steers a focused beam, reading the return signal directly from the object without a retroreflector, and is engineered to provide precise, industrial measurements with tolerances of thousandths or even tenths of thousandths of an inch. However, the speed of data collection is sacrificed for resolution—laser radar scans smaller areas more slowly to achieve high accuracy

(source:eastcoastmetrology.com)

– LADAR (Dynamic 9D LADAR by API)

LADAR (Laser Detection And Ranging) is sometimes used interchangeably with LiDAR, but API’s Dynamic 9D LADAR is a novel system that blends interferometry with laser scanning. LADAR is an interferometry‑based non‑contact measurement system that provides fast and accurate data acquisition. It overcomes several limitations of conventional measurement methods by delivering micron‑level resolution and eliminating issues such as limited accuracy, slow data acquisition speeds and sensitivity to surface reflectivity. LADAR technology uses fast data acquisition to deliver rapid, real‑time data collection, significantly reducing measurement and analysis time compared with traditional methods. It also functions effectively in noisy production environments and at various incident angles. The technology delivers rapid, real‑time data collection, making it suitable for in‑line production measurements where conventional laser radar is too slow.

To learn more about how LADAR can preform in line inspection, click here.

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