Our company has been able to get away with having pretty rudimentary inspection equipment; however, we have decided that now is the time to invest in new inspection equipment to both increase the throughput of our QC department as well as increase our inspection capabilities. We don't have an unlimited budget, so I am looking for a solution or combination of solutions that would give us the most bang for our buck.
The parts we currently make don't need a CMM. Most of the stuff we make is relatively small (e.g., fits within 4" x 4" x 4" space) and 90% of the features can be measured using 2d measurement system (e.g., optical comparator). Because of this, we have been interested in Keyence's IM-8000 series. It is pretty dang quick and has the ability to measure hundreds of features over several different parts in a matter of seconds. This would seriously improve our inspection throughput. The only drawback is it is pretty expensive. I have seen similar systems that appear to be less expensive (e.g., Starret's AVR series, Mitutoyo's Quick Vision series), but I'm not sure how they stack up against the IM-8000. If anyone has some experience with these products I'd be curious to know how they stand up next to each other.
The other thing to consider is whether there is something out there that could both improve inspection throughput and give us full 3D inspection capabilities at a similar price point to the IM. I know there are multi sensor CMMs out there that combine the speed of non-contact measurement with a tactile probe. Such a system would grant us the capability to inspect pretty much anything a customer would ask that is within the work envelope of the CMM, but we'd probably lose out on the speed of the IM-8000.
A final consideration would be if there is some combination of both a 2D vision system and 3D measuring system that come in at about the same price point as the IM-8000. As far as I can tell, the IM-8000 looks to be considerably more expensive than competing products. We don't really need the cream of the crop 3D measuring system here, just a reliable entry-level system.
All feedback is helpful.
The parts we currently make don't need a CMM. Most of the stuff we make is relatively small (e.g., fits within 4" x 4" x 4" space) and 90% of the features can be measured using 2d measurement system (e.g., optical comparator). Because of this, we have been interested in Keyence's IM-8000 series. It is pretty dang quick and has the ability to measure hundreds of features over several different parts in a matter of seconds. This would seriously improve our inspection throughput. The only drawback is it is pretty expensive. I have seen similar systems that appear to be less expensive (e.g., Starret's AVR series, Mitutoyo's Quick Vision series), but I'm not sure how they stack up against the IM-8000. If anyone has some experience with these products I'd be curious to know how they stand up next to each other.
The other thing to consider is whether there is something out there that could both improve inspection throughput and give us full 3D inspection capabilities at a similar price point to the IM. I know there are multi sensor CMMs out there that combine the speed of non-contact measurement with a tactile probe. Such a system would grant us the capability to inspect pretty much anything a customer would ask that is within the work envelope of the CMM, but we'd probably lose out on the speed of the IM-8000.
A final consideration would be if there is some combination of both a 2D vision system and 3D measuring system that come in at about the same price point as the IM-8000. As far as I can tell, the IM-8000 looks to be considerably more expensive than competing products. We don't really need the cream of the crop 3D measuring system here, just a reliable entry-level system.
All feedback is helpful.
