CT-Based Coordinate Measuring Machines

These days, the focus is on speed and flexibility when it comes to using computer tomographs (CTs) in industry. As production processes speed up, inspection technology must keep pace with increasingly fast and flexible machines. In Booth 1108, Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology, LLC (Maple Grove, MN) will highlight two tomographs that fulfill these requirements exactly: the METROTOM 800 with an extended performance spectrum and the new METROTOM 1500, the ideal CT-based coordinate measuring machine for a wide variety of applications regarding the size and material density.

In light of the ongoing development of new materials and the growth in the manufacture of hybrid workpieces made from very different materials, it has become increasingly difficult to clearly separate the application fields of computer tomographs. “This means companies need machines that can be used in as flexible a manner as possible, including ever larger measuring ranges,” explains Ralf Benninger, head of technical sales and product management for computer tomography at the Zeiss Industrial Metrology business group. This is exactly where the METROTOM 800 and the METROTOM 1500 come into play.

The METROTOM 800 measures and inspects complete components made of plastic or light metal with only one X-ray scan. Measurements are straightforward, fast and reliable. Hidden structures are easy to see and evaluate, with no need to perform any intricate clamping. A volume dataset can be archived and accessed years later to perform inspections on product returned to see whether or not a defective component already had defects at the time of delivery that could have caused the defect. The METROTOM has a specified, traceable measuring accuracy as per VDI/VDE 2630 and is calibrated using a patented process so that additional calibrations using limit gages or reference measurements with additional sensors are not necessary. The METROTOM 1500 was specially developed for a wide performance range to meet the different requirements encountered in internal or external measuring and qualification labs on a daily basis. Parts made of plastic, ceramics or composite materials, as well as magnesium, aluminum and steel can be dimensionally measured and evaluated with high efficiency.

Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology, LLC, 6250 Sycamore Lane North, Maple Grove, MN 55369, 763-744-2409, Fax: 763-533-0219, www.zeiss.com/metrology.