OGP ZIP 250 improves measurement capability at Stanley Tools

Citation

(2007), "OGP ZIP 250 improves measurement capability at Stanley Tools", Assembly Automation, Vol. 27 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2007.03327daf.005

OGP ZIP 250 improves measurement capability at Stanley Tools

OGP ZIP 250 improves measurement capability at Stanley Tools

Stanley Tools UK has manufacturing plants worldwide, including the USA, Mexico, France, China and the UK. The Rotherham site employs around 350 staff and manufactures chiefly knife blades, screwdrivers and chisels. Also based in Rotherham are the engineering and technology team, which is responsible for the design and development of all cutting and clamping products, and the European Test Laboratory.

Around 18 months ago, as part of Stanley's ongoing quest for product excellence, it was decided that the laboratory needed to improve its measurement capability. The lab was relying on traditional instruments like Vernier callipers, micrometers, DTI's, go/no-go gauges and a shadowgraph. These were OK for much of what they did but could not be used for things like measurement of angles on a multi- faceted saw tooth or grind radii on a Pozidriv^w screwdriver tip. Also, measuring large numbers of the same component could be a very repetitive and time consuming task, plus there were sometimes issues with the levels of accuracy that could be achieved.

Figure 5 The SmartScope ZIP 250 benchtop video measurement machine

The SmartScope ZIP 250 (Figure 5) is a high throughput, high-accuracy benchtop video measurement machine. DSP technology provides fast stage speed and smooth acceleration for shorter cycle times and high throughput. A heavy duty cast base with Y-axis centre drive and OGP's patented “AccuCentric” auto- calibrating zoom lens combine to provide a very accurate, stable benchtop platform.

OGP's video technology is leading edge. Enhanced edge detection and auto-focus algorithms, patented “SmartRing” programmable LED illumination and advanced zoom optics ensure that part characteristics and dimensional integrity are measured to micron-level accuracies.

Stanley's SmartScope machine includes multi-sensor measurement capabilities with non-contact Laser and Renishaw touch probe functionality. Easy-to-use MeasureMind 3D software allows all geometry to be measured, with a combination of deployed sensors in one seamless operation.

MeasureMind 3D also incorporates a CAD export and Import facility for reverse engineering or CAD to Part analysis.

The Stanley Laboratory utilises all three measurement functions, the versatile video image measurement with up to 203× magnification and exceptional lighting ability is used for a wide variety of applications from screwdriver tip measurement to checking the accuracy of the divisions on tapes and rules. The touch probe is used for three-dimensional work such as quality checking the dimensional accuracy of knife castings and the laser is used for applications such as scanning handle surface profiles and knife blade grind angles.

A key benefit is the flexibility of being able to use all three measurement functions in a single programme.

As Redpath concludes: “The software also includes an automatic edge trace function, which is very popular with the Lab, as it means the machine can automatically trace the outline of a component in a fraction of the time it takes to manually measure all the individual lines and arcs.”

For further information, please visit: www.ogpuk.com