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Industry: Metals & Glass
Optical Fiber
Drawn wire
Resources
Scanning laser micrometers for diameter and ovality measurement
Ultrasonic devices for wall thickness, concentricity, and inside diameter measurement
Total Vu™ HMI for complete data acquisition, closed-loop control, and reporting
Some example products:
- Drawn wire and rod
- Roll-formed wire, rod, and tubing
- Extruded aluminum in bar, hex, and other profiles
- Nitinol, stainless steel, cobalt chromium, and other high-value tubing
- Steel pipe and tube
- Centerless ground shafts and turned parts
- Optical fiber
- Preforms for optical fiber drawing
- Ribbon fiber
- Glass rod and tube
- Extruded glass for lighting products
- Hex and other shaped fiber for vision products and medical applications
Products in the metal and glass categories have some of the tightest tolerances that LaserLinc is asked to meet. For example, centerless ground shafts for automotive and aerospace applications, and drawn optical fiber have very demanding tolerances. For all of these products, scanning laser micrometer technology offers the best measurement performance.
Measurements
LaserLinc offers non-contact measurement technology for measuring diameter, ovality, and straightness. For rectangular profiles, measure width and height/thickness; for hex profiles, measure flat-to-flat distance; for oval profiles, measure major and minor axes, and ovality.
For metal and glass tubing, measure concentricity, wall thickness, and inside diameter using UltraGauge+™ ultrasonic devices.
For large diameter steel pipe and tube, diameter and ovality are important characteristics. LaserLinc offers laser micrometers with a measurement range of up to 228mm [9in]. For product diameters up to 100mm [4in], multi-axis micrometers are available to check ovality as well as diameter. In all cases, two or three single-axis micrometers with separate transmitter and receiver components may be used together to check ovality. Separate components means they can be mounted a safe distance away from high temperature sources and moving product or equipment.
For measuring products such as optical fiber and fine wire made with precious metals, the TLAser103™ and TLAser203™ micrometers offer unmatched precision.
What do you want to do with the data?
With accurate in-process measurement, the following benefits and more can be realized using LaserLinc’s Total Vu™ platform:
- Sort defective product for scrap, or in some cases, rework
- Quickly assess the process by viewing trend charts, histograms, control charts, and real-time statistics
- Automatically adjust process parameters such as roll stand position or line speed to maintain size
- Produce professional reports using Excel-based templates to satisfy customers and management
- Capture data for post-processing, process improvement efforts, and to settle potential quality claims
PLC / HMI Communications
If you have a PLC-controlled manufacturing process or an HMI, the SmartLinc™ processor delivers data from laser micrometers directly to your system using industrial protocols such as EtherNet/IP.
Service and Support
As our products are often a critical piece of the production process, LaserLinc provides the service and support you expect in those circumstances. Our processor products, laser micrometers, and ultrasonic-based devices, with the exception of transducers, are covered by a four-year warranty. (Ultrasonic transducers have a one-year warranty.) Visit the Warranty and Service page for details, including LaserLinc’s “spare-in-the-air” replacement offer and no charge [to the original purchaser] support via phone, email, and internet.
