However, from time to time, even precise equipment needs verification to ensure that it is still performing within specifications set by the manufacturer (known as MPEs, or Maximum Permissible Errors).
This is exactly why the United States Air Force (AFMetcal) asked NIST to develop an Interim Field Test for laser trackers. That standard became known as IR-8016, the NIST Field Test.
Most of us have heard the proverb that ends, "For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail." While most companies have moved beyond horseshoes to the high-tech realms of lasers, the failure of the most inconsequential-seeming part of your equipment can destroy your entire measurement operation.
Proper alignment is a core requirement for industrial processing equipment. In this blog series, we are learning to speak the "language" of machine geometry to bridge the communication gap between machinists and metrologists. By representing components as geometric entities, we clarify the alignment requirements and define which instrument is best suited for the task.
I have a German friend who tells me that a number of local dialects are spoken across his country. These German dialects vary enough that communication problems sometimes happen. So when people from different areas find themselves having a hard time understanding each other, he says they switch to “High German”, which everyone is taught in school from an early age. This puts them on a common ground for communication.
Over the last couple of years, we have worked closely with respected sawmill industry consultant and alignment specialists, looking at the challenges of common machine center alignments in sawmills. This includes aligning chip-n-saw lines, gang & board edgers, overhead endoggers, sharp chains, head rigs, track and rails, band mills, sash gangs, horizontal resaws, planers, trimmers and others, in primary and secondary breakdowns.
My grandfather was obsessed with several things during his lifetime. One obsession was any wild game whose habitat included the land, sea, or air. Another was the quality of his products. He told me one time that if I cheapened the instruments after he was gone, he would come back to haunt me. Another of his obsessions, and not the least, was ensuring the success of his customers. He truly was less concerned about selling products than he was about making sure people knew how to use them after they were purchased. It is somewhat sad that today’s culture, which is oversaturated with hyperbole, will probably cause people to doubt what I am saying. But I kid you not, that’s how he was.
While traveling into sawmills in the United States and Canada over the past few years, we at Brunson Instrument Company saw an unfulfilled need in the area of machine center alignment. Most sawmills whether small or large, producing anywhere from 25 mbf (25 thousand board feet annually) to 125 mbf and greater were still practicing old mechanical methods of lining up key machine centers. Using piano wire, dial indicators, feeler gauges and mechanical levels was more common than utilizing a highly accurate, repeatable instrument for important measurements.
