Alicona Launch the Compact Cobot Measuring System at MACH 2018

Alicona have launched a portable compact cobot based Optical Metrology measurement system for multipurpose use in a production environment. It provides a surface metrology capability for both form and surface finish and will be displayed at MACH 2018.

Based on a Universal Collaborative Robot with an Alicona R25 sensor head the system can be used for the measurement of surface finish, edge break, valve seats and edge radii on a wide range of products, especially on large objects. It can also be used in conjunction with a machining centre providing in process measurement capability with feedback for higher quality results.

This automated system allows measurements to be made without human intervention and variability ensuring consistent, accurate and traceable results. Users have rights to control users to specific tasks.

The cobot’s software is integrated into the Alicona automation manager providing seamless programming for the measurement task. As the collaborative robot can be manually moved it allows the measurement cycle to be easily programmed in the “teach” mode, then the program can be stored for later use.

Being portable the system can be moved to a position to measure large components, such as engine housings, disks, blisks in the Aircraft Industry and cylinder heads and engine blocks in the Automotive Industries. It can also be used for cutting tool measurement for wear studies and edge condition. The system can be used manually or programmed to do defined automatic measurements.

It can also be used in a measurement room alongside a measurement table where heavy and difficult to measure components can be placed. With the Alicona surface metrology system it is possible to measure a 5µm radii on a 5 metre diameter component offering unique direct measurement capability.

Alicona can be seen on stand H7-48 on the GTMA pavilion at the MACH exhibition.

Measurement capabilities (depending on optical magnification) include height steps down to 20nm, height range up to 16mm, Ra values down to 0,08µm, software is included for surface finish and profilometry.

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