Most modern machine tools come with (or can be retrofitted with) probing systems that make job setup easier by capturing data that locates a part and establishes a work-coordinate system. An on-machine verification technology combines spindle probes from Renishaw (renishaw.com) and inspection software from Delcam (delcam.com) to let the same equipment make initial quality checks at little extra cost. The technology is aimed at companies making large components, press tools, patterns, and molds.

“We use the phrase ‘On-Machine Verification’ to emphasize that verification, rather than inspection, is key to the technology. ‘Inspection’ tends to be an independent measurement, whereas ‘verification’ implies a somewhat less-precise check because it is not, for example, carried out in a temperature-controlled environment,“ says Peter Dickin, marketing manager at Delcam UK.

On-machine verification lets companies monitor the quality of components at all stages of machining. Thus verification lets shops detect errors early and correct them quickly at lower cost. For example, preproduction verification on the machine finds errors that might slip by unnoticed until after the component had been shipped to an inspector. The technology can also assesses the extent of damage due to tool breakage. Decisions can thereby be made immediately as to whether a part can be completed within tolerance or scrapped.

The technology also eliminates having an operator move a part to a dedicated CMM during machining, return the part to the machine tool, and reclamp the part in position before further machining. This is time-consuming for any component but can take hours for heavy items such as large aerostructures or press tools for automotive-body panels.

The verification technology involves MP 700 or soon-to-be-released OMP 400 high-accuracy spindle probes, which collect process data, and PowerInspect software, which uses the data to check surface accuracy or measure features including circles, cylinders, cones, spheres, and planes. Users can program verification sequences offline for minimal interruption of machining operations.