Attendees at Wenzel America’s recent open house had a behind the scenes look at how seven metrology measuring and cmm inspection methods fit their manufacturing needs. Also on hand were representatives from Automation Alley, Southeast Michigan’s technology business association and business accelerator and Fisher/Unitech, the leading distributor of Stratasys 3D printers.
Wenzel America’s: Metrology Matters Live! Open House
July 1st, 2015 · Wixom, Michigan – What happens when you take a single, specially created, 3D-printed part and measure it with each of the seven major metrology technologies now available? Attendees to Wenzel America’s recent Metrology Matters Live! Open House event last month discovered exactly that.
The 3D-printed part, co-created by engineers from Wenzel and Fisher/Unitech’s 3D printing experts, was tested using touch trigger CMM, tactile scanning CMM Inspection, 5 Axis Scanning CMM, white Light Inspection, Laser Scanning, High Speed Scanning and CT Inspection.
“The part was designed specifically to show the strengths and weaknesses of each metrology technology type,” said Wenzel America’s President, Andy Woodward.
“Our purpose is to help guide the customer toward the technology that is going to best help their manufacturing processes.”
The finished cmm inspection reports were made available in hardcopy for all attendees. When we spoke to Wenzel America, they also told us they would be publishing these reports in PDF along with videos of each metrology machine over the coming months for anyone not able to make the open house in person.
Manufacturers who were at the live event witnessed a very special demonstration area showcasing each of the metrology machines running an inspection on the exact same 3D-printed part. According to Wenzel America’s team, no other metrology company has ever done this type of side-by-side comparison of metrology machines and technologies.
“We created a special technology scorecard as part of the event,” Drew Shemenski, Wenzel America’s Regional Sales Manager, told us.
“This allows the customer not only to discover what is the best metrology tool, but what is the best tool for them and their specific application.”
Along with the live demonstration of the metrology and inspection results, area manufacturers were also able to learn more about the latest 3D printing technology available from the leading Stratasys dealer, Fisher/Unitech. They showcased the Stratasys Objet Connex, the printer they used to print the unique part for the event and the uPrint SE, a smaller 3D printer.
Also on hand were Automation Alley, Michigan’s largest technology business association that connects government, business and education to drive the growth of Southeast Michigan’s economy. Attendees learned about the value of this 1,000-member networking resource and the nearly half a billion dollars in international contracts it has brought to the region since its 1999 inception.
About Wenzel America
Wenzel America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wenzel Group GmbH & Co. KG, a 45-year-old, family-owned, global manufacturer of metrology equipment. Wenzel America is a leading North American supplier of traditional CMMs, GMMs, CT and non-contact 3D Scanning measuring machines to aerospace, automotive, tool and die, and medical device markets. For more information about Wenzel America contact Wenzel America at 248.295.4300 or email [email protected].
Wenzel America, Ltd. 28700 Beck Rd. Wixom, Michigan 48393
Phone: 248.295.4300 www.wenzelamerica.com