Marine Concepts Improves Efficiency

14 August 2023 · 3 min read

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API Helps MARINE CONCEPTS IMPROVE EFFICIENCY

Wireless Radian Plus and vProbe Combine for Faster, More Accurate Measurements

After evaluating their metrology department, Marine Concepts decided they needed to upgrade their equipment to better meet the needs of their customers. They decided on the API Radian Plus and vProbe, which has resulted in:

Shorter set-up and warmup times
Fewer measurement setups
More accurate results

Founded in 1976, Marine Concepts strived to be one of the first companies to provide a full line of design & engineering services for its customers while ensuring that all projects from design to production, are completed to the highest quality standards. Eventually, the company would be recognized for its services and become known as “The Next Generation in Design, Engineering, and Tooling.” Marine Concepts employs specialists with years of experience in design, engineering, CNC milling, plug building, and mold production.

With experienced staff and state-of-the-art CNC machines, they provide a variety of composite and fiberglass solutions to their clients. Customers in a variety of industries from boating, wind power production, aerospace, automotive, and even theme parks utilize quality products made by Marine Concepts.

Marine Concepts is headquartered in Cape Coral, Florida. In 2012, the company opened an additional facility in Sarasota, Florida to fulfill its growing demand. Between the two locations, Marine Concepts has over 300,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space. Yet, with the increased space and capabilities, came an increased demand for accuracy and efficiency from their application teams.

With these new demands in mind, Marine Concepts analyzed their metrology department, and, in the interest of their customers, decided to explore the newest technologies in metrology. The company’s analysis concluded it needed a Laser Tracker with extended capabilities. Marine Concepts required a tracker that could not only inspect parts, but also maintain the accuracies needed to compensate their CNC mills. The company also needed to find equipment that would allow them to go beyond the capabilities of an SMR.

Marine Concepts contacted API for assistance with finding a Laser Tracker with this functionality. API introduced Marine Concepts to the Radian Plus Laser Tracker paired with vProbe. Marine Concepts quickly discovered that the Radian Plus and vProbe met all the requirements they had.

With in-line accuracy of 0.0066mm at 20 meters, Plus allows Marine Concepts to quickly gather accurate data on their 73’ long CNC. And vProbe expands their target abilities beyond what a simple SMR can do. With the added benefit of Plus’ built-in auto-lock capabilities, the company no longer worries about interference with the laser beam.

At just 11kg, and completely wireless, Radian Plus is the perfect solution for Marine Concepts to measure even the smallest parts. In the past, the company had to haul bulky equipment around and wait nearly 45 minutes to take measurements. With Plus’ easy setup and quick warm-up, they can get to work much quicker.

The added versatility of vProbe also enables Marine Concepts to inspect grooves and scribe lines in a matter of seconds. The old solution for this inspection was more time-consuming and required additional setups that reduced the accuracy of the results. Overall, Radian Plus with vProbe have greatly improved efficiencies in Marine Concepts metrology department.

Marine Concepts inspects complex parts for customers in a variety of industries which include shipping, energy, and aerospace. Due to the critical nature of these industries, there is no room for error when inspecting parts. Marine Concepts counts on Radian Plus and vProbe to ensure these parts are inspected to the highest level of accuracy possible.

For over 30 years, API has used advanced metrology to develop customized solutions for the world’s leading companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Voith Hydro, Duke Energy, Ford and many others. API offers a unique mix of innovative engineering capabilities, superior product quality, and outstanding customer service to help improve your business and bottom line. API’s award-winning products are manufactured in the United States and are used by many of the world’s leading automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding, machine tool, and energy companies.

If you need an accurate inspection for your project or application, please fill out the form below and we’ll contact you immediately:

– 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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