FARO help Bombardier stay on the right track

Citation

(2002), "FARO help Bombardier stay on the right track", Sensor Review, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2002.08722aaf.004

FARO help Bombardier stay on the right track

FARO help Bombardier stay on the right track

Keyword: Measurement

Three-dimensional measurement technology reaps substantial cost savings

Substantial cost savings are being achieved by a major manufacturer of railway systems through the integration of three-dimensional measurement technology provided by FARO UK (Plate 5).

This has been implemented into the manufacturing process for bogies destined for service on rail and Metro systems in the UK and throughout Europe.

Based at Derby, Bombardier Transporation's Bogie Division, part of Daimler ChryslerRail Systems (UK) Ltd, manufactured approximately 1200 bogies last year. With increased demand creating the need for production to be stepped up, the component measurement process was identified as an area where time savings could be made.

Manufacturing Engineer Barry Orton explained, "Our existing equipment for measuring the bogies consisted of a manual XYZ Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), which was taking a considerable time to measure each bogie and required intensive operator involvement and skill.

Plate 5 Bombardier bogies are now accurately measured in situ with the FaroArm at assembly stage

"The CMM was very time consuming and with the bogie weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, having to be transported to the machine, this made for further delays. The Asquith maching centre would sometimes be used to measure the bogie but this considerable reduced the output rate.

"It was clear that this process was creating a bottleneck in our manufacturing times thus reducing our throughput and profitability. A fast, accurate measuring system was needed, which would be ea\sy to use, portable and flexible enough to use on parts around the factory before and after the machining process."

At this stage Bombardier called upon FARO UK for a demonstration of the FaroArm, which is a portable device able to measure the bogies in situ and operating within the tolerances required, combined with Faro's CAM2 software, which allows nominal CAD data to be imported and compared directly with manufactured parts. By running the software in program mode, shop floor operators could easily measure their own work.

Bombardier's acquistion of a FaroArm allowed the measurement of fabricated bogies, ensuring each one was within manufacturing tolerance, before it was put onto the machine tool, resulting in significant savings on machining time. Furthermore, Bombardier were able to integrate the actual measurements into the machining programme, creating higher quality and more accurate machining.

Barry Orton continued: "The FaroArm allows detailed measurement of the geometry of a bogie in under one hour. Its speed and simplicity of use means that we are now able to quickly and easily measure all bogies before and after machining. The software also enable us to produce printed dimensional and SPC reports which prove the repeatability and accuracy of our manufacturing process."

Bombardier acquired two more arms soon after the initial purchase to cope with the demand, and estimate that the time savings over previous measurement systems mean that the investment had paid for itself in less than 12 months. A fourth arm has now also been obtained.

Flexibility of the FaroArm has seen the product involved in a number of other applications for Bombardier, for example in off-site first article inspection and dimensional checking of wheelsets.

"The wheelsets are of an unusual geometric profile, and FARO UK came up with a special programme which enabled us to measure them accurately", continued Barry Orton.

The company's ISO 19001 accreditation requires regular measurement of fabrication and assembly fixtures and once again the FARO arms are creating substantial time savings, Barry explained.

"Previously these fixtures, which are gain very heavy, hadto be physically taken to the CMM, a major operation which was time consuming and not best practice.

"Now we can measure them quickly in situ using the FaroArm with minimal disruption to manufacturing. The increased accuracy and speed of results means we can identify quickly where any inaccuracies in fabrications and assemblies are occurring and take immediate steps to put right the process.

"Many of our suppliers have now also acquired FaroArms, meaning they are able to supply proven data on the geometry of their components and thus quality is traceable throughout the supply chain."

Barry concluded: "The FaroArms are continuing to prove a major benefit to our business in terms of both time and cost savings. The quality of their measurement, their flexibility and portability make them ideal for the increasing variety of tasks for which we are now using them."

For further information about the FaroArm contact FARO UK on +44 (0) 24 7623 6151