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Among its many activities, the Challenge-S Group produces cutting tools on press to deburr aluminium castings. The manufacturing of these tools is complex, calling for use of the Kreon measuring arm at several stages of the process.
Sometimes, around a hundred parts are assembled to make these cutting tools. When these parts are machined, an initial quick check is carried out directly on the machine to ensure that there have been no programming errors and that all the forms and all the holes have been made. Thanks to its portability, the Kreon Ace measuring arm is simply placed on a tripod next to the machine to make the necessary acquisitions.
Once all the parts have been machined, the complete mould is assembled. A further check is then performed to make sure all the parts are in the correct position. Indeed, assembling a large number of parts can lead to multiple defects that can in turn result in significant dimensional variations. Since deviations in form must not exceed 0.1 mm, very precise acquisition of the mould is performed using the Skyline Eyes 3D scanner. This allows the assembly to be closely compared with the theoretical model of the mould and the cast part. If defects are found, corrective measures can be taken to ensure the conformity of the tool. The parts to be measured are approximately 80 cm by 80 cm, which poses no problem for the Kreon measuring arm and its measuring volume of 2.5 m.
This check was previously done manually by visually comparing the part and the tool. Because of the unreliability of this method, a non-compliant tool would sometimes be delivered. To find a permanent solution, Challenge-S was able to question its method and define a rigorous inspection process, based on the use of the Kreon measuring arm, a precise 3D measuring device. Now, the company guarantees the quality of its production by quickly providing a detailed inspection report generated by the Polyworks metrology software. These efforts to improve the inspection methods have also helped to halve the inspection time.
Sébastien Baud, Director of the Challenge-S Group:
“The support we’ve received from Kreon has been excellent, both in terms of the demonstration that confirmed that the system was just what we were looking for, and in terms of after-sales service.”
Why was a 2.5 m Ace arm with a Skyline Eyes scanner and the PolyWorks Inspector software chosen?
- Use of the portable system in all production workshops
- Improvement of the existing quality processes
- Speed of acquisition of parts and tools
- Delivery of detailed reports
- Complementary nature of the checks done with the CMM
The experience acquired with the measuring arm, and in particular the simplicity of the data acquisition, opens up promising new prospects for Challenge-S. It now hopes to improve its skills through advanced training in the PolyWorks software, to make the most of the measuring arm and push further the analysis of digitisation data.
About Challenge-S
The Challenge-S Group was created in 2019 from the merger of 3 companies. The company provides services in the fields of general mechanics, tooling, hydraulics and leatherwork. Challenge-S brings various business lines and employees together on one site to offer its customers a 100% integrated, optimum, global service.
