31 December 2020
LK Metrology has launched Metrology Gate , a web-based Industry 4.0 solution for monitoring and controlling inspection activities.
LK Metrology has debuted Metrology Gate, a web-based platform to help production departments remotely monitor and control inspection activities. The company aims the software at both multinational companies with production in multiple countries and small companies with several factories in one country.
Metrology Gate provides remote access to measurement results, a summary of errors, a record of program changes and a log of coordinate measuring machine (CMM) uptime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Historical logs assist troubleshooting and warn when routine maintenance is due, not only of the inspection machines but also of machine tools and other equipment.
Comprehensive daily reports include total output per shift, number of parts measured, sudden changes in process averages and comparisons between different machines producing the measured components. Graphical CAD reports, statistical process control (SPC) analyses with process capability results and environmental logs that include operating temperature aid interpretation and understanding.
In the case of critical dimensional discrepancies or hardware failure, the software shares the information with users immediately by sending alerts via email, SMS, WeChat or WhatsApp. Users can stop and reset metrology jobs if performance is inadequate, maximizing yield and minimizing scrap. The web page contains a dashboard listing error details for simple viewing.
Metrology Gate stores data in the cloud, but has options for saving to servers or individual computers. Either way, real-time data is accessible over the internet from both office PC and mobile application.
LK says easy access to Metrology Gate cuts costs and saves time compared to traditional metrology reporting methods. It also says the program’s automatic gathering of quality control data improves accuracy over human data gathering, and that the system can easily produce reports tailored to customers’ and personnel’s specific needs.
Source: Modern Machine Shop