Ridgeline Engineering was asked to develop a high precision, automated measurement test cell. The requirements were to measure the flatness of a small, stainless steel part at various temperatures and humiditys and record and process the results for quality assurance purposes. Due to temperature and humidity time soak requirements, up to 20 parts would be measured in a batch. Flatness had to be measured within 1/1000th of a degree.
Our solution was to build a machine using an AKI laser inferometer probe. The system required a Cognex Vision system using three digital cameras to control positioning and measurement. The required X-Y positioning accuracy of 0.2�m was obtained using an Aerotech precision linear servo system. The mechanical stability of the system was overcome through the use of a carefully designed machine base.
The software requirements for this project were significant. The overall machine control was PC based in visual C+. Measurements from the Cognex Vision software were used to direct the positioning of the X-Y table. A simple DAQ card is used for digital and analog I/O to control heat and humidity and other required machine controls. An easy to use Windows Operator GUI was developed for data and parameter entries.
