FARO Laser Tracker Vantage: Better precision and productivity

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2015-08-26 11:49:12

With China’s economic rise, automobiles have become increasingly popular across the country, and this has caused a corresponding increase in demand for tires. This is especially so for the truck tire segment, which has shown exponential growth.

In response to rapid market expansion, tire companies have imposed higher requirements on themselves, in terms of production scale, quality, and the degree to which technology is being utilized. Companies place great emphasis on selecting testing equipment, as the foundation of having the right systems in place is vital to ensuring good production quality.

At the moment, laser trackers are the most widely-accepted method to inspect the precision quality of tire-manufacturing equipment. With its groundbreaking laser tracking technology, the reliable FARO Laser Tracker Vantage enables tire companies to manufacture more accurate and competitive tire products, and at the same time win constant recognition and support from customers.

The use of laser trackers is widely-accepted as the preferred method to check precision quality of tire-manufacturing equipment.

A Winning Partnership Through Excellence

Qingdao MESNAC Electrical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MESNAC), a tire equipment-manufacturing company, develops, manufactures, installs, sells, and commissions specialized equipment for rubber processing. This company also offers technical services and consultancy support, and manages the export business of its finished products and technologies. In addition, MESNAC manages an import business for mechanical equipment, spare and accessory parts, as well as raw and auxiliary materials that are required during manufacturing.

Along with the sustained economic development in recent years, MESNAC’s business also experienced rapid growth. In 2012, MESNAC resolved to expand the company’s scope of business and improve on the accuracy of its products. To achieve this goal, the management team decided to invest in a measurement device that would be easy to operate, and one that would gain recognition with its clients.

As products and tire manufacturing equipment differ greatly in specifications across models, it was important to find a device that could be relied on across the entire process, from assembly to final installation.

After thorough comparison, the FARO Vantage proved to be the best device available on the market. Its large measurement volume, high accuracy, small size, and ease of operation earned the unanimous stamp of approval from MESNAC field experts.

While FARO was compared to two other suppliers in the project, the company’s professional solution and outstanding service team eventually helped the team clinch the deal with MESNAC.

FARO Laser Tracker Vantage measures the positioning holes on the equipment.

Trust-winning Features: High Efficiency and Accuracy

“Prior to using FARO Vantage, we measured the tire manufacturing equipment manually using hand tools and tooling,” said Mr Dong Wenlong, an employee from MESNAC’s Quality Control Department. “Not only was this method prone to human error, but its precision was also not high. Moreover, it could not give us digitized data for measurement reports. Clients were often dissatisfied that there were no objective results to refer to when receiving deliveries. However, the FARO Vantage has completely eliminated this problem.”

Now, MESNAC runs a demanding production schedule at its facility, utilizing the FARO Vantage continuously for at least 12 hours a day. Despite the heavy workload, the FARO Vantage easily handles all its measurement tasks, including installation, alignment, and calibration of parts, as well as assembly of components, and calibration of guide rails, rings, and frame bodies. Furthermore, there is no longer a need for staff to switch between different measurement tools, which in the past had led to wasted man-hours and unwanted errors.

Mr Dong highlighted, “Ever since we started using the FARO Vantage, our products maintain an accuracy of within 0.03mm. Our clients are also very satisfied with the data reports that the device generates.”

In addition, the FARO Vantage has enabled cost-savings for MESNAC through higher completion rates, shorter downtimes, waste elimination, as well as by providing precise, consistent, and reportable measurement data.

“With more precise measurements, our product quality is ensured and we no longer have to worry about human error,” reiterated Mr Han Qixiang, Manager of the Quality Control Department at MESNAC. “Most importantly, the FARO Vantage automatically generates measurement reports that are well received by the clients, allowing us to work with more confidence.”

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