Application stories

Case stories

• [31KB] Driving hard for quality and cost reduction
  

  With negative headlines often surrounding the British car industry, it is easy to forget that major manufacturers continue to operate world-class volume vehicle production facilities in the UK. The Nissan plant in Sunderland is demonstrating how it is possible to significantly reduce costs to compete against manufacturers based in emerging lower-cost economies. Within their engine plant, the introduction of Renishaw probes onto four CNC twin turret lathes has led to an initial saving of £250,000.

• [121KB] Flying success with Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems - Renishaw probes cut production time
  

  Case story – MT part set-up - Flying success with Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems - Renishaw probes cut production time

• [28KB] Complex tool setting at the speed motor sport demands
  

  Renishaw’s automatic tool setting and tool breakage detection systems recently installed at Hewland Engineering Ltd, are proving to be highly successful in raising productivity of transmission part manufacture for motor sport vehicles worldwide. Hewland has also used the Renishaw QC10 ballbar to provide the quality assurance requested by customers, by guaranteeing the performance of its machines.

• [28KB] How to prosper as a UK machining sub-contractor
  

  The directors of Castle Precision have embraced the latest technology in every discipline, but not for the sake of it – this is technology applied so effectively that in some cases ‘wasteful’ operations have been reduced by over 80%. As an example, Renishaw probe systems on Castle’s CNC lathes have reduced inspection times from about 35 minutes to less than 6 minutes.

• [25KB] Axle supplier – approaching zero scrap
  

  Albion Automotive’s axle design and manufacturing comes from an established track record of reliability and engineering quality. Albion products have been specified by truck users for most of this century, and the Glasgow plant now embraces a just-in-time philosophy to develop a product range that will carry its customers into the next century.

• [26KB] Air bearing production given a lift
  

  The rise in the popularity of air bearing spindles for new applications owes much to the ability of modern machine tools to provide extremely tight dimensional tolerances and fine surface finishes. Achieving such results, however, can involve lengthy set-up times; especially where batch production must be combined with frequent tool changes. Air Bearings Ltd (ABL) of Poole, Dorset, a highly successful manufacturer in this expanding field, has tackled this by fitting Renishaw tool setting systems and spindle-mounted touch probes. Not only has this reduced costs, but also sustained ABL’s drive for quality improvements.

• [79KB] Martin Baker Case study- QC10 Ballbar and MT probing
  

  Renishaw systems crucial to manufacturing at Martin-Baker.

White papers

• [442KB] White paper: Innovations in touch-trigger probe sensor technology
  

  Since the invention of the touch-trigger probe in the 1970s, these devices have formed the main means of sensing for dimensional measurement on co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and machine tools. Scanning sensors are increasingly being used on CMMs to measure complex shapes and to characterise the form of prismatic components. However, touch-trigger sensors still have a major role to play in the inspection of component size and position on CMMs, and in workpiece set-up and in-process control on machine tools.

• [62KB] Innovative frequency hopping (FHSS) radio transmission probe technical note
  

  An inspection probe is used on a CNC machine tool to determine the location and orientation of parts during setting, and for inspecting the size and position of critical features for verification and process control. It does so by sensing a series of discrete points on the surface of the component. When the probes stylus meets the surface of the part, a trigger signal is generated. This signal must be passed to the CNC so that the position of the machine at that instant can be recorded.

• [422KB] Unique tool recognition system detects broken tools with ease
  

  The swift and reliable detection of broken tools on many machining centres is essential. A broken tool can lead to scrap and rework, and can have costly implications on subsequent processes if left undetected. Conventional contact broken tool detection systems have a number of weaknesses and are often unsuitable for smaller tools.

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