How an innovative company from Omsk is trying to solve the problems of measuring parts
The idea of creating your own device that would perform the functions of coordinate measuring machines (CMM), and would be mobile, arose when the developer encountered a number of problems associated with stationary and a large number of mechanical components, which complicated the operation of metal-cutting equipment and significantly slowed down the measurement of parts during time of his work. For this, a competitive and patent study of existing developments on the market was conducted.
The main purpose of the STILUS-KIM device is to digitize the geometry of parts of any complexity during their production in a short time and to compare them with an ideal 3D model. The process itself proceeds as follows: first, we carry out the calibration, touching the reference sphere installed next to the measured part. Then, to measure the part in a limited space, by linking it to the coordinate system on the base surfaces, we compare the obtained touch points on the surfaces with the virtual model of the part. Usually 2-3 base surfaces are enough to measure to snap the 3D model in space to the part. The measurement accuracy is from 10 microns to 100 microns, depending on the measured length. If the nominal diameter of the part is measured 10 mm with a tolerance of +0.1 mm, then all sizes from 10.0 to 10.1 - included in this interval are considered suitable.
“Our main task is to make the STILUS-KIM device as simple and convenient as possible, so we made it in the form of a pen, with the ability to control the measurement results from a tablet or smartphone,” said Alexander Tignibidin.
The main differences between the device and laser measurements with auto guidance and a 3D scanner are that the mechanical elements in it are minimized, the only moving part is the contact sensor. The main intellectual component of the project is a mathematical model for determining the pen in space.
The main demand in the market of measuring instruments is created by companies in the engineering and manufacturing industries, it is for them that checking the dimensions of the parts, as well as the speed of this operation, is very important. This is quite an important point, because usually this process takes from 8 hours to 1.5 days due to removal of the part from the machine and its measurement in the laboratory using stationary CMMs.
