The aim is to guarantee a fast and precise service. Respect for deliveries on time and according to the required quality standards has always been Ecor International’s priority, a characteristic appreciated by the Schio-based company’s customers and which has helped to weld lasting relationships and create a reputation as a reliable partner.
It is indeed with a view to the continuous improvement of the workflow that an important investment by Ecor International is part of the process: the purchase of a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) with automatic part loading designed and produced by Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence.
Tigo: precision and speed in loading parts
Expertise and human skills are the assets of a company and growth can only be mutual. Machine support becomes more and more important, especially when it is necessary to make up for the lack of qualified manpower in the field of metrological control, as has often been the case over the last two years.
Recently, Ecor International’s quality control department was equipped with a coordinate measuring machine (CMM): Hexagon Tigo SF.
It is a compact machine (500x580x500 mm) with a flexible configuration to suit every working environment and every variety of components in all industries. Loading and unloading, whether automatic or manual, is facilitated by the three-sided opening and the thick granite work surface, which also has a matrix of clamping holes.
It is designed to operate even in harsh shop-floor environments because it does not require pneumatic power and its structure is protected to prevent the ingress of contaminants into moving parts.
The electronics are housed in the machine’s support bench and can be additionally protected in the harshest environments on request, while an anti-vibration system protects the machine and its mechanisms from vibration.
Tigo SF is a fast and accurate co-ordinate measuring machine: the Fly2 Mode function controls the trajectory for better sensor movement and reduces program execution time and at the same time operating and maintenance costs, optimising machine movement and trajectories, producing less stress on moving parts.
Scan Pilot’s firmware algorithm and motion control parameters allow for fast and accurate measurement of non-predefined paths with minimal set-up. Constant contact is achieved through increased motion control even with sudden surface changes, allowing users to save time with non-predefined measurement tasks.
The CMM also reduces energy consumption and respects the environment. In fact, the Eco Mode option automatically switches the machine off to save energy during periods of inactivity, thus improving energy efficiency but keeping the CMM ready to go. This supports environmental sustainability, reducing operating costs and offering ecological benefits.
To prevent environmental conditions from adversely affecting the measurement result, the Pulse option uses a network of sensors to record changes in temperature, vibration and humidity in the CMM’s environment, and for anti-collision monitoring of the machine, and sends alarms to the user via email or SMS when preset operating conditions are exceeded.
Tigo SF can operate unattended, allowing time and resources to be optimised, as LED indicators allow the status of the machine and programme to be assessed from a distance.
Tempo: maximising production capacity
Alongside the CMM, Ecor International has also equipped itself with another automatic machine, the Tempo, an automatic part loading system that increases the productivity of the Tigo.
In fact, it is developed to allow autonomous measurements without interruptions, both when there are extra production requirements (e.g. overnight) and when staff have to dedicate themselves to other important tasks. In short, Tempo maintains productivity even when CMM operators are not available.
Tempo keeps Tigo SF operational with fast and uninterrupted loading, queuing and unloading process; all without the need for an operator and, thanks to its simple set-up, allows convenient handling of new parts.
In addition, Tempo can automatically identify out-of-tolerance parts, increasing confidence in the results and ensuring faster results.
“We have managed to establish trusting relationships with our customers because they recognise the quality of our work, the innovation of our products, but also the respect of delivery times,” says Roberto Saccardo, Quality Control Manager of Ecor International SpA. “The last few years have been particularly complicated from a production point of view, but if we have managed to build an excellent reputation we owe it to our skills and ability to innovate, and customers recognise this.
First in Italy
Ecor International is the first company in Italy to equip itself with the combination of Hexagon’s Tigo and Tempo systems, and one of the first in Europe. “It is a solution that allows us to respect delivery times and maintain high-quality levels even for complex components, always meeting the needs of our partners” concludes Saccardo.
“The system allows us to strengthen our ability to track the dimensional characteristics of different productions and perform statistical analyses on critical dimensions” says Andrea Perezzan, Quality Manager at Ecor International.
@EcorIntern