One client came to us looking for a big single axis table for checking sheet metal parts. Easy, right? Not so fast. There were a couple of dimensional measurements that needed to be taken that our standard machine and accessories just weren’t built do do. One was to check the bent edge of a fabrication to make sure the bend angle was within specification. 

After some thinking, a refresher in trigonometry, and a chat with our encoder supplier, we came up with the device shown here. This air-actuated cylinder pushes two probes at a specified distance apart against the bent edge of the part. By calculating the difference between probes, we can show that the angle is in or out of specification.

Another client had an older machine of ours, which was working well-enough for them, but they thought if we could do something different for them, that would be better. They made long narrow parts, like extrusions, that had holes in specific locations. The problem was, the extrusions could flex and move, which made getting an accurate and repeatable measurement difficult.

What we created was a variation of our overhead probe barstock table along with a series of lever-actuated push clamps and some angled stops. This provided a quick and easy way for the operator to secure the parts in place so the parts wouldn’t move. It also meant that the client didn’t need to create custom fixtures for individual part variations.