It’s often assumed that confidence in a measurement equates to confidence a product conforms. However, we can only measure at discrete points on a surface, while GD&T relates to the entire surface. We don’t know what is happening on the surface between the measured points. This is known as the intrinsic uncertainty of the measurand.Read more about Intrinsic Uncertainty: The Elephant in the Room[…]

Composites offer significant advantages where high strength and low weight are required. These materials are, unfortunately, also very difficult to recycle. Composites consist of fiber reinforcement embedded within a polymer matrix. The polymer may be a thermoset, such as epoxy, or a thermoplastic, such as polyester. Separating the fibers from the matrix is a hugeRead more about Low-Cost Recycled Composites for Automotive[…]

Achieving right-first-time manufacturing requires regular calibration and verification of production machinery. On-machine measurement makes this even more important. Achieving rapid, automated and fully traceable calibration of machine tools is a priority for high-value manufacturing. The Etalon Multiline system gives this capability. To carry out a calibration, the machine must only move its spindle or probeRead more about Etalon Multiline Enables Self-calibrating Machine Tools[…]

In this article, I show that the conventional method for calculating uncertainty is not always reliable. In fact, it is generally only exact when the measurement can be represented by a simple linear equation and the input uncertainties are all normally distributed. Whenever the measurement is more complex, there will be errors in the wayRead more about Why simulation is the future of uncertainty evaluation[…]

When I’m designing a linkage mechanism I often have some particular motion that I need to achieve. In this article I explain the first step in this process, defining the joint positions and linkage lengths required to produce a particular motion. I have found that the constraint-based sketcher within SolidWorks provides an ideal tool forRead more about Using CAD to Synthesize Mechanisms[…]

Frequency scanning interferometry uses a tunable laser to provide highly accurate distance measurements. It was first developed by researchers at the University of Oxford who were working on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has taken this state of the art technology and developed it into a much moreRead more about NPL Brings Frequency Scanning Interferometry to Large-Scale Manufacturing[…]

The VDA-5 standard is a big step forward for the evaluation of industrial measurements. It combines the practicality of gage studies with a rigorous uncertainty evaluation approach. This is definitely heading in the right direction, although the methods it uses can still miss some important sources of uncertainty, as I will show towards the endRead more about VDA-5: Combining Uncertainty Evaluation with Gage Studies[…]

A new £8 million research project, led by GKN Aerospace and backed by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), is focusing on developing and demonstrating robotic and digital technologies required for the next generation of aircraft wing manufacturing. Read the full article, published on engineering.com…

There has been huge excitement in recent years about new forms of carbon such as graphene, carbon nanotubes and Buckminsterfullerene (buckyballs). This article looks at the new forms of carbon, such as nanotubes and graphene, and considers whether we may be on the verge of a carbon revolution. Read the full article, published on engineering.com…

A novel optical 3D scanner called the Hexagon Blaze 600A has been developed to overcome conventional issues with the noncontact measurement of composites. The system is designed to be integrated with a robot to provide fully automated inspection. Read the full article, published on engineering.com…