Efficient Measurement. (Produce).

The complexity of a step-gear transmission means that all of the individual elements--many of which are gears, certainly complex in their own right--must be measured with precision. When you're making prototypes this can be even more demanding, especially when you're under time pressures to get things out ASAP.

Cut to the Ford Motor Co. Prototype Transmission Facility in Livonia, Michigan. Which had found that the queue outside its measurement lab lengthening. So in order to move things a long expeditiously-without sacrificing accuracy-it obtained a precision measuring system that performs gear and form-checking as well as 3D coordinate measuring in a single setup. The system in question is the PRIMAR from Mahr Federal (Providence, RI).

Among the tasks handled:

* Measuring differential housing gear height and tooth geometry. The task is to find the difference in height from the center of the journal for each gear tool as well as the perpendicularity of each face to the journal. The system incorporates polar roundness measuring technology. As a result, the journals were automatically centered and leveled to the physical datum axis; each tooth was rotated in position so that the system could measure points on the end of the tooth.

* Evaluating parts pre- and post-heat treating. This involves evaluating face angles, and the runout diameter and roundness of two cylindrical features on parts. This is done in a single setup, not the multiple setups that would be otherwise required.

* Measuring bore draft angles. This is measured in the main control body and the surface of the land area is evaluated.

* Checking gear face perpendicularity to the I.D. This is performed in a single setup by placing the part in a V-block, then using the system's 3-axis scanning probe.

Reportedly, based on performing these four projects, there is an estimated savings of $1.5-million in manufacturing costs on an annual basis.