Usually we start with "This 'beauty' is our Part of the Week. Let's take a look!"
But this week we're going to look under the hood of something critical to our ability to create precision parts: Calibration.
EMI is a precision machine shop and our equipment allows to machine parts to within ±0.0001 of an inch.
But to reliably and verifiably achieve results for our customers we must make sure our machines are properly calibrated.
We recently detected an anomaly with one of 5-axis CNC milling centers so we checked it out.
The process for doing this is like running a science experiment, where we isolate and test each variable.
Of course, for a 5-axis machine, that means we need to check each of the following:
• The probe stylus
• The probe body
• The work table
• The work holding
• The spindle position relative to the table
We check each of these variables to ensure each of the X, Y, Z, B and C dimensions is bang on when we go to machine our customers’ parts.
After performing our checks, found nothing out of place, so we double-checked the tools and discovered a small defect in one of the end mills.
We replaced that tool and re-measured everything to confirm the machine was correctly calibrated and yielding the expected results. And then we got back to the actual work of, well, working.
Because precision doesn’t just happen. It’s monitored, reviewed, tested, calibrated, and confirmed. Always.
Cookie Monster knows C is for Cookie, but it can also mean the C axis Calibrated Correctly. Thanks, pal.
* Fun Fact: The tip of a probe stylus usually is made from synthetic ruby. This material is selected for hardness, abrasion-resistance, low friction, polishability, and sphericity.
* Even Funner Fact: These rubies are grown in a lab, not hand whittled by corncob pipe-chompin’, banjo-playin’, overall-wearin’, eyeball-squintin’ perfessionals despite that mental image being nearly as awesome as Cookie Monster.
Each week we will feature something we've been working on. We hope you'll find these posts informative.
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