TQM Itaca Technology is able to design and realize special measuring systems, composed of mechanics, electronics and software. During the last years we have realized lots of special control stations, born to satisfy specific requirements of our customers.  Here below some of the most significant realizations:

Special station to test Aerosol machines, completed with special software.

Special test station “Force Displacement” for floated brake discs, completed with special software Itaforce for the calculation of the elasticity of the assembly springs

Special gauge for the control of rocker arms, with special software for the control of the curvature  radius of the skids.

Itageo 6© special station for the control of the holes of hub discs, with laser head and special algorithm to verify the  centring of the holes.

Mobile Itaser station for the control and the calibration of torque wrenches and screwdrivers, with  industrial PC powered with 12 Vcc, battery and integrated printer.

Itadisk station for the 100% control of flanges, with manual loading.

Station for the 100% control of the holes of hub discs with load/unload by robot.

Itageo 6©  control station for hub discs with mounted bearing, with application of loading on  bearing and special software for the compensation of the rolling errors induced by the bearing.

Itageo 6© station for the control of the cylindricity of a car hub.

Itageo 6©  integrated on a machine designed Ad Hoc for the control of turbine rotors.

Itastat 6 control station with dedicated gauge for the control of pump bodies.

Itastat control station for the control of fuel injectors; multi-stations, with tests of resistance to  traction, torsion and tear-off.

Itastat station for the control of the resistance to tear-off of a mechanical component.

Itastat station for the dimensional control of the paper air filters.

Itageo 6©  station for the control of shafts.

For gear inspection TQM Itaca Technology has developed a solution composed of a motorized gear inspection system (which can be configured according to the type of gears to be controlled), electronic interface iDaq4Geo and the software Itagear 6 for the analysis of the double side meshing gear with a Master.  The whole package Hardware-Software can be implemented on already existing gear inspection systems.  
Itagear 6 allows the acquisition, storing and analysis of a profile concerning the couple of two gears. Data acquired are then processed to calculate the typical features gotten from a gear inspection gauge: rotation control of the gear inspection system is provided by an encoder device installed on its axis. Itagear 6 can be used on all types of gears. The measured value is both displayed as polar profile and linear graph with possible zooming. If necessary, it’s possible to save the graph of each test.
The results are stored into Itastat 6 database available for proper statistical analysis.  
With Itagear it’s possible to calculate the following features:

Rotation control Fi" Also called Radial Composite Error. When measuring a gear compared to a master gear, the measurement is done considering the complete rotation of the gear. When a couple of gears is controlled, the measurement is done considering the complete rotation of the gear with the greatest number of teeth.

Tooth step control fi" Also called Radial Tooth to Tooth Composite Error. It’s the difference max-min of the data read on the rotation angle equal to 360°/z where z corresponds to the number of teeth of the gear to control.

Eccentricity control Fr" Also called Radial Runout. It’s calculated as the max variation of the distance between gear axes using frequency analysis to eliminate nick or vibration effects.

Diameter/Center distance Control (min, max and average) It’s an absolute measure and a master gear with known average diameter/center distance is required. Zero adjustment of Itagear is dynamic on the average value.
Itagear 6 can manage automatic test cycles, the dialogue with the production lines and the dialogue with the automatic load/unload machines.

Some examples:

Itagear 6 complete station, with gear inspection system fitted for the control of gears on shafts and industrial PC with portable rack.

Gear inspection system for the control of gears on a shaft. Expansion plier for the locking of the master.

Itagear 6 station for the control of wheels and worm screws of big dimensions.

Itagear 6 station for the 100% control of machined gears on electric motors, with manual load/unload, movement forward of the sample wheel and automatic measuring cycle. The station is already fitted for the automatic load/unload.

MEASURING STATION AND SPC

The SPC measuring stations produced by TQM Itaca Technology are equipped with the software Itastat 6 Measure and they are characterized by the maximum ease of use and by the maximum flexibility of configuration.

Itastat 6 Measure allows the connection and the acquisition from any measuring instrument with data output. It’s composed of an easy and intuitive operator interface and it can be completely used with an programmable operator keyboard.  It works in network and saves the data directly in the Database of Itastat 6. Shewhart, Pearson, Extended Limits control charts can be used; operator permissions, statistical alarms , notes regarding Events/Causes/Remedies and multiple lots can be managed. It can be used for the selection in classes and it allows to acquire static and dynamic measures. The station can communicate with both load/unload systems and the machine corrections.  Working in network, the stations are provided with a system for the management of network failure, which guarantees its functioning also in case of a failed connection to the database of Itastat 6.

A preconfigured standard solution does not exist: stations are configured and realized according to the specific needs of our customers.  

Here below some purely indicative examples:

Example of a SPC station out of line, in painted steel, with working plate in steel, 8-button operator keyboard in stainless steel and operator pedal for data acquisition, electrical and ventilation system according to CE rules. Industrial fanless PC and UPS.     Interface for manual instruments (electronic probes, vernier calipers, pneumatic gauges, etc…).

Example of a SPC station out of line, in heavy carpentry, with support shelf in stainless steel, operator keyboard in stainless steel, 8 buttons, electrical and ventilation system according to CE rules. Standard PC and UPS.     Interface for manual instruments (electronic probes, vernier calipers, pneumatic gauges, etc…).

Example of a SPC station out of line, with industrial compact PC, interface for manual instruments (electronic probes, vernier calipers, pneumatic gauges, etc…), barcode reader for the identification of the operator and for the automatic loading of the measuring batch, with operator keyboard with 8 buttons.

Station for the control at the end of line of aerosol machines.

Measuring station inserted in a assembling line of power tools  for the 100% control of the mounting values.

ITAGEO 6^© is the system which allows to do dimensional and geometrical controls in a workshop, on more sections at the same time, with a cycle time of few seconds, and which can obtain results comparable with the results obtained in a metrology room using a laboratory roundness measuring instrument. Itageo 6^© is composed of a probe for each section, fixed probes, piece put in rotation, rotation controlled by encoder, recreation of the profile of the section using at least 3.600 points, correct measurement of the interrupted surfaces, harmonics analysis, possibility to apply filters, etc…

Therefore, it can be considered like a “Workshop Roundness Measuring Instrument”.

The control of the roundness and of the flatness with the traditional control methods doesn’t allow to obtain, if not in particular cases, results comparable with those obtained using a roundness measuring instrument (Talyrond or equivalent) in a laboratory. In fact, with the traditional method it’s possible to measure with 2 probes in differential (a+b) the diametral variation indicating as roundness the difference max-min. The roundness measuring instrument uses a unique probe and it indicates as roundness the radial difference between the inscribed circumference and the circumscribed circumference, after having annulled the eventual error of concentricity. The consequence of this is that with the traditional method it’s possible to have acceptable measures only for errors with a number of lobes equal (oval, square, etc…) but not for a errors with a number of odd lobes (triangle, pentagon, etc…). It’s possible to use three probes at 120° for the triangularity, but in this mode it’s not possible to read correctly the ovality, and furthermore the measuring mechanics becomes very complicated.   

ITAGEO 6^©, our special program for the dimensional and geometric controls, allows to obtain in a workshop results comparable with the results obtained by a roundness measuring instrument because it uses the same measuring method:

•    Use of a single probe for each section  
•    Acquisition of a number of adjustable points for each section (typically 4.000)
•    Calculation of the eccentricity with re-centring of the profile
•    Calculation of the roundness on the re-centered profile
•    Display of the polar and linear profile

With ITAGEO 6^© it’s possible to set the function “harmonic filter”, like the roundness measuring instruments, the search of the harmonic of higher order (it’s possible to calculate the amplitude of the harmonics according to the Fourier Analysis), the setting of different tolerances for each harmonic, etc… 

ITAGEO 6^© is able to compensate the measuring errors due to the rotation on “V”, both on the support plane and on the other controlled sections, evaluating the form error in the correct way (2 lobes, 3 lobes, etc…).  

ITAGEO 6^© allows to analyse up to 16 sections at the same time. The surfaces can be continuous or interrupted.

Repeatability for 25 measures on a master 

Indicative values of 6 sigma:

ITAGEO 6© is the instruments for dimensional and geometric controls in workshop for brake discs and brake drums. It allows to obtain, in a workshop, with 100% control, results comparable to the results obtained using a laboratory roundness measuring instrument. It can be automatic or semi-automatic (automatic measuring cycle and manual load/unload of the piece).  This result is possible because ITAGEO 6^© uses the same measuring logic of a roundness measuring instrument: 

•    Piece put in rotation on a precision mandrel.
•    Compensation of the errors of rotation induced by the mandrel.
•    Use of a contact probe for each section.
•    Reconstruction of the profiles, Fourier Analysis and Harmonic Analysis, Calculation of the eccentricities and of the roundnesses on the re-centered profile.
•    Display of the polar and linear profile.
Moreover, ITAGEO 6^© has some characteristics which make it appropriate for a use in a workshop:
•    Extremely sturdy mechanics, electrical cabinet with adequate protections, industrial electronics.
•    Adjustable gauges with fast and simple operations.
•    Simple use, suitable for the line staff.
•    Completely automatic measuring cycle, also in the version with manual load/unload.
•    Itageo is able to manage the dialogue with manipulators, lathes, marking machines, machines for the “Eigen Frequencies” control, stations for ND control.
•    Cycle time of about 15 seconds, load/unload included, with discs of standard dimensions.
•    Management of more probes at the same time (up to 16 probes): the control plan can be more complex without influencing the cycle time.
•    DTV measurement with a tolerance of 5 micron.
•    Measurement of interrupted surfaces, with the exclusion of the holes for the analysis.
•    Adjustable automatic management of Master Verification and Master Zeroing, with the control of the stability of the gauge.
•    Possibility to set the “harmonic filter”, analogue to the filter which is present on the roundness measuring instruments, search of the harmonic of a higher order (harmonics of order 2°,3° ,4° and 5° according to Fourier Analysis), possibility to set the “dirty filter”.