Release the potential of your machine tool: probing can improve OEE in many different ways throughout the machining cycle

Probing has long been used for setup. With an inspection probe in its spindle, the machining center can touch a workpiece to quickly establish its location. Many manufacturers understand this, and many shops use the probe in this way. However, most of those shops fail to realize the many additional ways that on-machine probing can improve process efficiency. By using the probe strategically, a manufacturer can make 100% good parts--right the first time--in the lowest possible production time. The probe can even make it possible to do away with off line inspection as a regular part of production. Given all that the probe can do, calling it an "automation tool" is not enough. A probe is actually many automation tools in one The most effective machining processes use probing for different purposes throughout the cycle. Manufacturers that use probing only at the start, to locate parts and set tools, miss out on much of what probing can accomplish. Adaptive process control and part verification are where probing can deliver the greatest gains.

Here is how probing improves efficiency and accuracy at many stages throughout the machining cycle:

* Setup. Used to locate the part automatically and establish a work coordinate system, probing cuts setup time, increases spindle availability, lowers fixture costs and eliminates non-productive machining passes. On complex parts, 45 minutes of fixture alignment can be replaced by 45 seconds of probing, which is performed automatically by the CNC.

* Fail-Safe Operation. Through probing macro cycles, a CNC can quickly check for changes to work coordinates, tool dimensions or part dimensions, and input the revised values automatically. This eliminates costly errors resulting from incorrect manual calculations or miskeyed information.

* Part Identification. Probing can determine that the correct part has been loaded before the CNC calls up the program. This procedure protects the machine against wrecks that might result from an accidental mismatch between the program and the loaded part.

* Tool Setting. A tool setting probe is an economical solution for on-machine verification of tool geometry and tool condition. The tool setting probe can automatically set length and diameter and identify broken tools, performing these functions while the tool is in motion.

* In-Process Control. Probing can be used to monitor the size and position of machined features during the cutting process. The information can be used to automatically apply cutter compensation or adjust the work coordinates. Correcting the program in-process in this way can eliminate scrap, reprogramming or rework