- Four-axis gauge for accurate measurement of diameter and ovality
- Higher accuracy over two- and three-axis gauges
- Applications: tubings, also flat and unique shaped products
NDC Technologies has introduced the industry’s first four-axis 12 mm diameter gauge for critical plastic tube and extrusion manufacturing applications. The new Beta LaserMike AccuScan 6012 enables manufacturers to measure product diameter and ovality with higher accuracy than two- and three axis gauges for added quality assurance and bottom-line savings.
Increasing line speeds and uncontrollable rotation as a challenge
Over the years, manufacturers of medical tubing, high-performance cable, and other extruded products have relied on two- and three-axis diameter and ovality gauges for their on-line and off-line measurement applications. But the increasing production line speeds and uncontrollable rotation and vibration of products still pose measurement challenges. The need to precisely measure the diameter and ovality of cylindrical round products to ensure they meet tight design and quality specifications is of high importance to manufacturers. Producing any medical tubing product with an “out-of-tolerance” diameter or roundness affects the performance of life-critical devices such as catheters, drug delivery and surgical tubing, and other medical devices. Any error in the diameter or roundness of the conductor or insulation in Coaxial and twisted-pair LAN products directly impacts the cable’s performance characteristics, rendering it useless for the designed application. This unusable product winds up being scrapped, increasing manufacturing costs.
More comprehensive measurement coverage than two- and three-axis gauges
The Beta LaserMike AccuScan 6012 four-axis gauge solves this problem by providing a more comprehensive measurement coverage than two- and three-axis gauges and an ultra-fast scan rate. This combination makes it possible to achieve a more accurate average outer diameter and ovality measurement at higher line speeds and for off-line applications. The AccuScan 6012 features:
• More Accurate Average Diameter– the device performs ultra-fast measurements at 2400 scans per second per axis (totaling 9600 measurements per second) and provides the highest single-scan accuracy in the industry with single-scan repeatability to 1 micron. This means with each and every scan a more accurate average diameter measurement can be achieved.
• Significant Improvement in Ovality Accuracy–the device offers a 42% improvement in detecting true ovality over three-axis gauges and delivers 100% ovality accuracy when the product is aligned with the measurement axes.
• Highest Flaw Detection Accuracy–the device provides the highest flaw detection accuracy with 25% improvement over 3-axis gauges. The fast scan rate and higher accuracy coupled with the High-Speed Tolerance Checking option permits the early, accurate, and dependable detection of product flaws such as lumps and neckdowns. This enables manufacturers to better control product quality, reduce scrap, and realize manufacturing savings.
• High-Accuracy Off-line Part/Sample Inspection– using the Beta LaserMike PC-based AccuNet display system, the AccuScan 6012 can be easily and quickly setup as an off-line part measurement system to check samples and track, manage, and analyze critical product data. This eliminates the need to set up two dual-axis gauges to perform four-axis measurements.
The AccuScan 6012 gauge also measures a wide range of other small diameter products such as plastic automotive tubing, plastic heat-shrink tubing, plastic cord and line, wire and cable, and other extruded or drawn cylindrical, flat, or unique shaped products. In addition, the AccuScan 6012 offers flexible communications capabilities, allowing for easy connection to PCs, PLCs, or processes with leading protocols. This gauge can also be equipped with an optional ultra-bright display and human interface to easily configure and view measurement data. The device allows for top or side mounting of the display.
