CASE STUDY

Inspection times halved at vehicle

transmissions manufacturer

19 LK Metrology CMMs equipped with a REVO tactile scanning head are in use at the US
transmission plant of a global automotive manufacturing group. Brighton, Michigan-based LK
Metrology Inc also upgraded seven other CMMs of different makes at the factory with the REVO
head and software.

Transmission plant in the USA • LK CMMs and REVO scanning retrofits on other CMMs
 The system works extremely well, so we
get results faster. We are currently looking at the
possibility of having LK retrofit the latest REVO-2
head to our CMMs. Spokesperson for the transmission plant in the USA
At the US transmission plant of a global
automotive manufacturing group, component
inspection times have been reduced by half or
more following the decision to partner with LK
Metrology Inc, which has upgraded all of the
CNC coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) on
site to use 5-axis scanning technology in addition
to touch probing. The Brighton, Michigan-based
metrology company is the US subsidiary of British
CMM manufacturer, LK Metrology Ltd (www.
LKmetrology.com), which built 19 of the 26 CMMs
in use at the US factory. Two are on the shop floor,
while the others are installed in five different
quality control (QC) rooms.
A spokesperson at the world class manufacturing
centre explained, “We have been using LK
machines for controlling the quality of our
machined components for more than two
decades. They have proved to be a reliable
supplier and their ceramic-bridge machines are
very accurate.
“There are a couple of other makes of CMM here
as well and we also asked those suppliers if they
would convert all our machines to the REVO 5-axis
scanning system from Renishaw, which is another
UK company. They did not offer us a solution,
however.”
The impetus for investing in the metrology
upgrade, where four- and six-speed transmissions
have historically been manufactured, was the
addition of eight- and nine-speed versions.
2 Transmission plant in the USA • LK CMMs and REVO scanning retrofits on other CMMs
Since then, electric hybrid transmissions have
also entered production. It put the inspection
team under pressure to cope with the increased
throughput, so the company ordered extra LK
machines and decided to award the site-wide,
turnkey REVO upgrade and servicing contract to
them.
The spokesperson added, “LK had been pro-
actively offering the conversion, but we needed
to satisfy ourselves that our other CMMs could be
similarly modified. Our engineers proved it could
be done on a small, non-LK machine at another of
our plants. The results showed how fast the REVO
process is, while being just as precise as the touch
probing method we have traditionally employed.
“Some machined features on our transmission
components need to be held within ± 30 microns
true position. To achieve this level of accuracy,
it is essential for us to be able to hold single-
figure micron tolerances on other dimensions,
as tolerance build-up is inevitable. Obviously we
need to measure those features and REVO on our
CMMs allows us to do that quickly and accurately.”
Jobs swapped between CMMs
in minutes
About 1,500 steel and aluminium parts per day
are inspected, some being the same item but at
different stages of manufacture. Overall, 200,000
features have to be checked daily. The benefit
of the present metrology set-up is that each of
the five QC rooms houses identical technology
and capability, with fixtures and probes freely
interchangeable. So any operator can flexibly
transfer jobs between CMMs around the site
within minutes and it feels like he or she is using
the same machine, a level of commonality that
delivers highly consistent results. Previously
this would not have happened, as the disparate
measuring platforms within the facility meant that
it would have taken hours or even days to move
parts around for checking.
The speed of the new process for QC has not
only saved time but also money, as without the
technology extra CMMs would have been needed
to cope with the ever increasing throughput. For
the same reason there is a saving in overall CMM
footprint, releasing floor space for other uses.
Another view of some of the LK CMMs in the US transmission plant
Transmission plant in the USA • LK CMMs and REVO scanning retrofits on other CMMs
Both scanning and touch-trigger probing routines
are applied using the REVO system, the former
being faster for sections of an inspection cycle to
which it is suited.
The efficiency of the quality function at the facility
is now such that there is capacity to help other
transmission production centres nearby. When
required, checks are also carried out to ensure
the conformance of parts delivered by first-
tier suppliers or produced by the group’s other
manufacturing plants in the US and globally.
The benefits of scanning
The scanning system is Renishaw’s REVO, a
two-axis CNC head that moves in unison with
the three CNC axes of the CMM under program
3
 control to provide full 5-axis inspection, collecting
dimensional data accurately using a tactile stylus.
It can measure discrete points on a component
in a conventional manner but is also able to scan
over some areas, where it is expedient, to collect
data at much higher speeds without leaving the
surface. It is this latter feature that has on average
halved cycle times at the US transmissions
manufacturer.
Controlled by Renishaw’s MODUS software,
the nimble head with its two rotary CNC axes
minimises the linear acceleration and deceleration
of the CMM’s large moving elements during a
measuring routine, whether touch probing or
scanning. It means that the three orthogonal axes
move for the most part with constant velocity,
allowing changes in component geometry to be
followed without introducing dynamic errors.
Programs are created either in teach mode using
the same software or from a CAD model.
The spokesperson concluded, “The system works
extremely well, so we get results faster. We are
currently looking at the possibility of having LK
retrofit the latest REVO-2 head to our CMMs,
which would allow us to acquire information on
the surface finish of components in the same CNC
cycles. The need for dedicated test equipment to
check surface roughness could then be reduced
or even eliminated.
“The system would also enable a multi-sensor
approach to our measurement, as it can
incorporate non-contact inspection using a vision
probe as well as tactile methodology, should we
ever decide to go down that route.”

About LK Metrology
LK Metrology is renowned for innovative metrology solutions and services. The company’s products,
including coordinate measuring machines (CMM), portable measuring arms and metrology software, are
used worldwide to control and improve the quality of manufactured components. Its precision technology
underpins the process chain from design, development, production and energy, medical and contract
inspection.

Established in England in 1963, LK Metrology has an impressive heritage in metrology dating back to the birth
of CMM technology. Founded by CMM pioneer Norman Key and his father-in-law Jim Lowther, LK Metrology
is credited with many of the CMM industry’s firsts including the first bridge-type design, first OEM to integrate
computers, first to use a touch trigger probe, first to develop inspection software, first to use all air bearings
and granite guideways, first to use carbon fibre composite spindles, first to use microprocessor-controlled
drive systems, first to produce a truly thermally stable CMM and first to produce a high-accuracy horizontal-
spindle CMM.

In 2018, LK Metrology was relaunched as an independent CMM manufacturer after several years as a division
of Nikon Metrology. Headquartered in the UK, LK’s CMM development and production are at the company’s
facility in Castle Donington. Sales and support offices are located in the UK, North America, Belgium, France,
Germany, Italy and China, supplemented by a worldwide distributor network.

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