Reduction of measuring time by up to 70 % The family-owned company Aluline was able to simplify and accelerate the quality assurance of complex aluminium parts.

Always up to date: Aluline, a manufacturer of aluminum components and solutions from high-wage country Denmark, operates on this principle to excel on the global market. The family-run company also invests in new measuring technology on a regular basis. The most recent purchase was comprised of two ZEISS ACCURA machines with a new scanning probe. The new coordinate measuring machines have enabled Aluline to drastically reduce its measuring times.

How Aluline A/S succeeds with ZEISS Solutions:
ZEISS CALYPSO
ZEISS VAST XTR gold
Success:
  • Measuring time reduced by up to 70 percent
  • Inspection of geometrically complex parts
  • Continuous scanning of workpieces

Reduced Measuring Time of Complex Aluminium Parts thanks to ZEISS Measuring Machine

The challenge: measure geometrically complex parts more quickly

A total of 11-12 million items comprised of around 300 different parts for various applications leave Aluline every year for destinations around the globe. The company's customers hail from the medical technology, telecommunications, consumer electronics, defense, automotive and aerospace industries. And everyone expects maximum precision – even on parts with complex geometries. Until now, operators had to interrupt the machine several times to manually reposition the workpiece.

High precision is vital to ensuring the functionality of the valve housing
High precision is vital to ensuring the functionality of the valve housing
The new probe and a special fixture enabled Aluline to reduce the measuring time for the valve housing from 35 to 11 minutes without sacrificing precision
The new probe and a special fixture enabled Aluline to reduce the measuring time for the valve housing from 35 to 11 minutes without sacrificing precision

The solution: new scanning probe

The XTR contact scanning probe simplifies and accelerates the quality inspection of geometrically complex parts. Because a rotary axis is integrated into the probe, the stylus system can turn as far as possible in 15 degree increments and thus always be positioned at the right angle to the part. They also chose the ZEISS ACCURA bridge-type measuring machine because it provides the desired precision as well as the possibility of scanning workpieces continuously instead of capturing single points. Furthermore, employees were already familiar with ZEISS CALYPSO measuring software.

"We can now measure the workpiece in just 11 minutes instead of 35 – and that in a single run."

René Schow Jørgensen, Head of Aluline A/S

The benefit: shorter measuring times

The new contact probe allows Aluline to now measure geometrically challenging parts without a sensor change-out and without interrupting the measuring run. Employees needed 35 minutes to measure the 128 defined features of a locking cylinder for doors. The XTR probe, as well as a fixture specially developed by ZEISS for this workpiece, have reduced the measuring time to 11 minutes. Because the part no longer has to be manually turned, employees can use the time between the start of the program and reviewing the measurement report for other tasks. Another benefit for Aluline is that the workpieces can now be scanned continuously. As a result, measuring technicians and designers receive a lot more information about the geometry of the parts than they did with single-point measurements. According to Managing Director René Schow Jørgensen, the two coordinate measuring machines have also impressed customers: "There are simply no questions asked when we show new customers our measuring lab. They know that we measure accurately and manufacture precisely."

The XTR scanning probe can always be positioned at the right angle to the part
The XTR scanning probe can always be positioned at the right angle to the part
About Aluline A/S

Family-run Aluline A/S has been developing and manufacturing aluminum parts since 1965. At its site in Tølløse about 60 kilometers from Copenhagen, the Danish company employees 110 people who cover the entire manufacturing process from design to finished part.