Boehlerit Magazin 2016-EN

Measuring shiny surfaces with ring light According to Alfred Maier, the LED ring light that comes with the Alicona system is another great advantage: individually adjustable settings make it possible to light and measure even shiny surfaces ac- curately and with precision. “For us, this is nothing short of a revolution. We knew that the technology for measuring shiny surfaces was already out there. Now, we have it at our fingertips and are able to measure shiny and reflective surfaces in one simple process.” Another important area of application for the Alicona apparatus is press tools. “With press tools, it is again imperative to avoid even the slightest measuring error. Any error that we can avoid here saves us lots of time that would otherwise have to be spent on develop- ment and refinishing work and unnecessary client liaising.” All in all, Gerhard Melcher expects significantly shorter development times and more streamlined manufacturing processes for press tool construction, despite the increasing level of product complexity. “In previous years, the project development time was assumed to be at least eight months, even between 12 and 18 months in most cases. We are seeing a mas- sive push to reduce this time frame. As a rule, the time-to-market of our machining tools is now a maximum of 10 months.” Alfred Maier also sees the application and optimisation of Boehlerit’s own press tools as a massive benefit of the new system. Especially during trials with pro- totypes in the in-house machining lab, wear and tear can be measured and information garnered quickly, making it easier to improve products and press tools. “This allows us to optimise the interplay between the die and punch on our production presses, increasing measurement ac- curacy and minimising the gap between the die and punch and thereby also the level of wear and tear – a really important factor”, says Gerhard Melcher as he refers to the worldwide largest carbide press that was put into operation in spring, with a press capacity of 650t. Alfred Maier, Head of Quality Assurance, and Markus Peihser, measure- ment technician, are enthusiastic about the ease of use of the Alicona equipment: “Oversized or undersized areas are displayed visually and in a highly transparent manner – we therefore notice excess deviations straightaway.” Measuring surface roughness and form with a vertical reso- lution of 10nm But the potential of the Infinite Focus measuring system is even greater than that, says Alicona Marketing Manager Astrid Krenn. “Yes, the system is capable of a lot more. Especially the option of measuring surface roughness in addition to the form of the edge could be interest- ing for Boehlerit.” With the G5, surface textures may be configured and defined within seconds, in addition to the profile-based roughness. “No wonder that Infinite Focus is the globally leading measurement system for high-resolution measurements of complex geometries. We do not know of any other optical system that allows for such comprehensive measurements with a comparable resolution and speed”, Astrid Krenn adds. Measurements are provided within just three seconds, although it might take slightly longer to measure larger and more complex com- ponents. “Classic scan sizes are located in the millimetre range, but of course the system also handles larger measuring fields. Our USP is the combination of form and roughness measurements even across large measurement volumes. This is also why Infinite Focus has become the standard for the measuring of tool and mould construction.” In the latter industry, Astrid Krenn explains, the system is mostly used for the measurement of cutting edges and the full geometry of indexable cut- ting inserts, drills, milling tools and other shaft tools. Astrid Krenn, Head of Marketing at Alicona: “The system is capable of a lot more. Especially the option of measuring surface roughness in addi- tion to the form of the edge could be interesting for Boehlerit.” 006 BOEHLERIT MAGAZINE

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