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Inspection/Measurement 24 MoldMaking Technology November 2014 By Trevor Murcko Most critical, pre-fnished components are subject to various forms of inspection or layout. Here, a portable measurement arm is used to measure hole diameters on a large part. M anufacturers who supply or receive pre-machined manufactured components, including molds, often ask, "Will this part clean up?" Molds, castings, forgings and pre-fabrications of all types, sizes and complexities are sub- ject to this critical question. In fact, many of these parts have prints littered with dimensional data, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T;) and critical call-outs. Oftentimes, the question of part clean-up can make or break an order, a job or a delivery schedule, and although the respondent can vary from a supplier to the downstream customer or both, the question must be answered. Achieving a confident answer through inspection and lay- out activity is often a difficult and time-consuming process. However, the use of CAD data and 3D digitizing technology can significantly improve overall inspection and layout accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency, resulting in the potential answer to this critical question. Inspection Criteria Most critical, pre-finished com- ponents are subject to various forms of inspection or layout. As manufacturers continue to strive for nearer-net-shape molds, castings, forgings and fabrica- tions, this process becomes more detailed and subject to scrutiny. A shop that receives a mold may spend a great deal of time and employ several different methods to ensure the mold's dimensional integrity. This may include use of height gages, lay- out machines, calipers, dial indi- To improve your manufacturing processes upstream and downstream, consider CAD data and 3D digitizing for lean layout and scrap reduction. Will This Part Clean Up? Images courtesy of Faro Technologies Inc. cators, fixed CMMs, portable CMMs and more. There could be dozens of complex inspection criteria (e.g., diameters, posi- tions, angles, etc.) that must be satisfied before components are acceptable to the customer and viable for post-processing. Satisfying all of the inspection criteria can create the follow- ing issues: 1. Difficulty in conducting proper inspection, requiring mul- tiple tools, tolerance stack-ups, etc. 2. Multiple interpretations of inspection data by the supplier and customer, leading to discrepancy. 3. Multiple (and differing) inspection methods used by the supplier and customer. 4. Significant non-value-added time in the part's value stream, increasing overall lead time. 5. Errors that can lead to unnecessary part rejection, scrap- ping of parts once on the machine and unnecessary re-work.