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Investing in a Romer CimCore portable coordinate measuring arm with Delcam's PowerINSPECT inspection software has proved to be a big time-saver for Rayco Manufacturing, Inc. "It saves us many hours compared to the manual way most fabrication shops check their work,'' said Roger Timmons, Quality Assurance Engineer, "and we get more information about our production faster, so we can make adjustments quickly and accurately. That's a clear competitive advantage for us.''
Rayco Manufacturing, based in Wooster, Ohio, was established in 1978 to build equipment for the tree and landscape industry. Most of the work at the company is cutting and welding steel to form the structures of the machines. As Rayco grew and its product ranges expanded, the company decided that it needed to further improve the consistency of its steel fabrications and assure their quality from the first laser cut through to the completed fabrication.
An important advantage of PowerINSPECT for Mr. Timmons was that the software has a simple user interface which is intuitive and easy to use. "The learning curve was very short, which let us get the most from the measuring arm in the shortest possible time,'' he commented. "I also like being able to import our CAD models directly into PowerINSPECT and overlay what we measure. This reveals immediately where any discrepancies may be.''
"Five minutes with PowerINSPECT saves an hour out on the assembly floor,'' Mr. Timmons claimed. "We can make adjustments before the components get into the assembly flow.'' For example, the software showed that the run-out on some of the feed wheels used on its chippers was not acceptable. Detecting the situation prior to assembly saved the one and a half to two hours it would take to remove and replace an inaccurate feed wheel.
In another example, the frame for one of its machines was exhibiting a twist during assembly. According to Mr. Timmons, "We measured it during welding and found that the fixture needed correction. We also use the system for troubleshooting out on the assembly floor to determine why a part may not be fitting perfectly, so future parts can be corrected before they go to assembly. We can do this in about 10 minutes, a time saving of up to 1,000% compared to any manual method.''
Rayco did not have a dedicated quality department until about three years ago. "Today, we inspect critical parts and all fixtures on a regular basis,'' Mr. Timmons said. "This helps us put out a high-quality, high-performing product for our customers.''
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