Dubuque, Iowa-based The Adams Co., a manufacturer of numerous gear and shaft products, reports it has invested in a new CNC gear measurement system. The company is a custom producer of bevel gears, helical gears, spur gears, worms and worm gears, as well as splined, straight, tapered, threaded, and keyed shafts. It is using the new Process Equipment Co. system for final set-up inspection and process control, and to reverse-engineer gears and shafts to identify the exact dimensions of parts supplied by customers.
The PECo ND430 CNC Gear Measurement System is a CNC design used to ensure the quality and consistency of gears, splines, worms, and gear cutting tools. It is capable of measuring tooth profile, helix slope and angle, pitch variation and pitchline runout, tooth thickness, size over/under pins and micro finish. The system is supplied with analysis and tolerance evaluation packages that are consistent with AGMA and ISO specifications.
Adams Co. reports the new machine is housed in an environmentally controlled and compliant inspection laboratory.
In application, the parts to be inspected may be aligned between centers using a standard motorized tailstock, or mounted on a precision chuck device. Using either location method, a true part coordinate reference system may be established using the ND Series coordinate transformation algorithms and 3D mapping system to conduct measurements according to actual or functional part datum features.
“The accuracy and repeatability of the inspection process is great,” according to Adams Co. operations manager Mark Derby. “Not only that, but it also provides documentation for our quality control guidelines and traceability if questions arise further down the line.”
