About Precision Measurement & Inspection
IP&P Precision Measurement works in direct partnership with IP&P Design Drafting. We have been operating locally with IP&P Design Drafting for 6 years when the lack of precision measuring equipment available for outsourcing drove us to dive into the business head first. Our first foray into the industry was our purchase of a 2.4m Cimcore CMM (coordinate measuring machine) arm in 2005. Since then we have stayed committed to leading the measuring and inspection industry and have worked closely with clients and suppliers to ensure that we provide on-time, meaningful and accurate results.
The capabilities of our precision measurement division are growing quickly. For almost 6 years now we have been leading the industry utilizing our CMM Cimcore & FARO arms in applications such as measuring, certification and reverse engineering. More recently we have acquired a FARO laser tracker, the latest tool in our range of precision measuring equipment. This laser tracker has broadened our capabilities and extended our range out to 70 meters with extremely high accuracies.
We continue to look into new avenues for collecting data in fast, comprehensive and precise ways. Couple this type of 3D data collection with our 3D modeling capabilities at IP&P Design Drafting and we have all the tools to carry out any type of design or reverse engineering from conceptualization right through to manufacturing checks and verifications. As new technology becomes available we are continually assessing whether it is right for us, and what benefits it can give to us, and our customers.
We currently have two fully trained operators who have extensive experience in the industry, and also 3D modeling, design and verification processes. Our cadets are exposed to this cutting edge technology giving them a great head start in terms of where we see the industry heading.
The Technology
We have been using our 3.7 meter FARO CMM arm since the 2008 floods when our Cimcore arm was destroyed. The FARO arm allows us to measure all types of irregular shapes, machined components & collect any data inside its 3.7 meter operating radius. Put simply, the arm is a multi jointed arm which records points in space relative to its origin which we can then use to build shapes & surfaces in our 3D software. This data is accurate to 0.05mm & given the right conditions, this accuracy can be tightened.
Our latest acquisition is a FARO Laser Tracker. This tripod mounted device allows us to take point data relative to the machines base at ranges up to 35 meters in the machine's line of sight. Accurate to 0.023mm at this distance, this machine allows us to greatly improve our results on larger jobs such as structures & alignment jobs. This machine is fast, accurate & compact allowing us to record large amounts of data at low costs. Again, like the FARO arm, point data is used to create shapes & surfaces for use in our 3D modeling software.
We have recently developed methods of using these two tools together, allowing us to take quite intricate & complicated data sets over large distances. We can use the Laser Tracker to leapfrog the CMM arm around a job allowing us to take data out of the line of sight of the tracker, without signifiacnt decreases in accuracy normally associated with repositioning of the machine. This technique has proven itself giving our clients the ability to compare manufactured components & structures to design drawings, allowing them to accurately & confidently report manufacturing results in QA documentation etc.
