Foldens enhances inspection capabilities with new CMM

“Two of our major customers wanted cpk reports and part inspection

traceability and installing a CMM was the easiest way to do it,” says 

George Barnes, president and owner of Foldens. As a result, the company

recently installed a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex C 574 CMM.

Foldens, which started operations in 2001, has 35 employees at its

7,200 sq. ft. facility. Foldens also has a 2,500 sq. ft. warehouse in

Tillsonburg. The firm is ISO 9001-2000 registered.

Foldens Machine Works is a custom machine shop that serves a variety of

markets including agricultural, trucking, lifting equipment, and

military training devices. The firm works with a variety of materials

including mild steel, stainless steel, cold- and hot-rolled bars,

plate, plastics, brass, aluminum and more. Typically, Foldens’ part

runs range from 50 to 2,000 pieces.  

The company offers a variety of services including CNC machining, CNC

turning, HyDefinition plasma cutting, and oxyfuel cutting.

The new Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex CMM has provided Foldens with a variety of

benefits, says Barnes. For one thing, the Mitutoyo CMM has

significantly decreased inspection time. “The new CMM has cut our

inspection time by 80%. Previously, we were doing it all manually which

is very time consuming,” Barnes says.

In addition, Barnes says that the Crysta-Apex CMM has increased

productivity. “It has really kept the spindles running here. On some

parts, productivity has improved by 25%.”

Barnes evaluated a number of competing CMMs before selecting the

Mitutoyo CMM. There were a number of reasons that influenced the

choice, he says. “The ease of programming of the Mitutoyo CMM was one

reason and also the reports that it generates for us. You can customize

the reports (according to your needs).”

The Mitutoyo CMM is also opening up new opportunities for business for

Foldens, adds Barnes. “Because of the Mitutoyo CMM, we have been able

to start quoting some automotive parts. Previously, the inspection

levels were such that we couldn’t do that before.”

The Crysta-Apex C 574, which was supplied by Mitutoyo Canada Inc.,

Mississauga, ON (mitutoyo.ca), offers a measuring range of 505mm

(X-axis), 705mm (Y-axis), and 405mm (Z-axis) and a maximum drive speed

of 520mm/s. Self-adjusting air bearings on all axes allow the

Crysta-Apex C to move the probe with speed and precision.

It provides a length measuring accuracy of 1.7 µm. The Mitutoyo CMM is

a modular system which allows the user to easily convert and upgrade

the machine depending on changing requirements and measurement

applications.

Another benefit of the Crysta-Apex is that it is a multisensor-capable

3D CMM. As a result, the user can alternate between contact, optical

(image processing) and laser systems. The Crysta-Apex can also use

probes and sensor systems from other major manufacturers.

In addition, with its fully automatic measuring sequences, the

Crysta-Apex C can be perfectly integrated into the production process

itself. As well, networking between production machines and a feedback

system causes no problems either.

Other benefits offered by the Crysta-Apex CMM include: integrated

thermal-effect compensation for instrument and workpiece in the

temperature range 16 °C to 26 ºC; high precision (resolution: 0.1 µm)

with dustproof glass scales on all axes; self-adjusting air bearings on

all axes; fully-digital servo control for low-vibration movements; and

FEM-aided design which ensures geometric accuracy and vibration

resistance.

The Crysta-Apex employs MCOSMOS software with Mitutoyo Intelligent Computer Aided Technology (MiCAT) as standard.

According to Barnes, the new Mitutoyo CMM is definitely meeting the

company’s expectations in terms of performance. “It has definitely

improved our product going out the door.”

mitutoyo.ca