Nikon’s Large-Envelope X-Ray CT System Installed in Hyundai Motor North America’s New Safety, Investigation Laboratory

 Nikon Metrology, Inc, and Hyundai Motor North America announced that Hyundai has purchased and installed Nikon’s X-ray computed tomography (CT) system. This represents a significant investment in the success of Hyundai’s newly opened $51.4 million Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory (STIL) in Superior Township, MI.

Nikon’s X-ray CT system offers a large scanning volume, multi-source flexibility, dual-detector functionality, and an extensive range of enhancements which together provides users of the system with truly exceptional inspection capabilities.

Hyundai Motor North America utilizes Nikon’s X-ray CT system in their STIL facility for important analytic processes, including nondestructive inspection of components such as air bag inflators, lock mechanisms, seat switches, struts, impellers, and additive parts.

“Having the on-site capabilities to view the inner structures and components of materials and mechanisms through the advanced Nikon X-ray CT system provides Hyundai with detailed datapoints that would otherwise take weeks to evaluate,” says Ben Michajlyszyn, director, Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory, Hyundai Motor North America.

The successful collaboration between Nikon Metrology and Hyundai Motor North America is the direct result of their mutual commitment to world-class engineering and manufacturing. 

Nikon’s X-ray CT systems have been built to handle the most demanding inspection tasks in the manufacturing world, both now and in the years to come.  “The multi-tube, multi-detector configuration delivers a highly flexible system capable of producing top-quality results on small, low-density components such as impellers as well as on larger, multi-material assemblies such as airbag inflators. This flexibility to do more on a single system can yield a greater ROI and the ability to adapt to Hyundai’s needs as their business and inspection requirements advance,” says Chris Peitsch, Global Sales Manager, Nikon Metrology. 

Hyundai, in turn, utilizes the X-ray CT system to ensure the quality, safety, and functionality of the components that make their way into Hyundai’s award-winning automobiles. Measurement is fast, efficient, and accurate, and the nondestructive nature of the inspection is critical. Using destructive techniques on charged devices such as airbag inflators would represent potential hazards for inspectors on site at the STIL, whose mission is to increase safety for Hyundai customers and employees alike. Nikon’s X-ray CT systems are an important part of that effort, and it is representative of the valued, ongoing partnership between Hyundai and Nikon.

For more information, visit www.industry.nikon.com or www.hyundaiusa.com/.

Calypso - Point Recall with LOOP

 

This will create a wall thickness 360° around the part top and bottom 8 points each.

To read the article click this link.

https://cmm-quarterly.squarespace.com/articles/calypso-point-recall-with-loop

Flatness - GD&T and Calypso Rev 3 Book

 Flatness - GD&T and Calypso Rev 3 Book — CMM QUARTERLY (squarespace.com)

This is an excerpt from the GD&T and Calypso Rev 3 Book

PURCHASE THE GDT AND CALYPSO BOOK

Flatness is a form tolerance that on the surface seems easy on a CMM. Simply scan the surface or place a series of points on the planar surface, and report out the variation, but we must understand the data and what results we are given.

Flatness (form tolerance): the tolerance zone is limited by two parallel planes a distance t apart.

Implies: Straightness of the surface or Straightness of the derived median line

On a surface plate layout, the surface must be isolated. The surface is checked to itself and therefore you can’t lay a part of the surface plate and scan the top surface. This would be parallelism. On the CMM this is acceptable since Calypso will calculate flatness based on the surface data regardless of the alignment or orientation.

In the flatness characteristic the plane is automatically changed to Minimum Feature, regardless of the Evaluation Setting. It is the Calypso default setting. This setting is seen in the selection dialog box when picking the feature in the Flatness dialog box.

 The minimum zone creates a plane through the equally displaced points created by the highest point and the lowest points of the scan. Thus, the flatness graph will display the same min/max values.

 The plane is moved up or down to create a plane that is equally displaced between the measured points.

Measured Plane

Minimum Feature Plane

As you can see that minimum zone, or minimum feature is susceptible to outliers. One outlier could change the flatness result drastically. It is recommended that outliers and filters be applied. As stated, before it is best to set filtering and outliers defaults using Resources/ Save Load Default.

 

NOTE: The flatness reported in the characteristic is different than the form value reported in the feature dialog box; this is due to the LSQ calculation of the feature itself.