Case Studies : Affordable and 100% Reliable Measurement for Steel Manufacturer

Background

A large steel processing manufacturer with multiple service centers throughout the US, prepares strips of metal rolls in order to provide metal forming, machining facilities, fabricators, and other miscellaneous parts for automakers and related heavy-industry applications.

The Problem

Gauging was performed using hand gauges, contact-type gauges, or some other less accurate indirect methods. Having no standard developed practice, workers at the plant were not taking reliable measurements.

A non-contact method from another brand was once used, but did not prove reliable due to the varying quality of the surface condition from a dozen different metal suppliers. The customer then tried nuclear gauges which gave them limited success, but were too expensive.

Implementing a highly invested gauging program was not in their plans because of the added cost and slower production.

The Solution

Their application problem was solved by mounting a KEYENCE LK-G157 and LK-G37 directly over the mandrel measuring thickness accuracy to within 1/10 of a mil.

The dual-head LK-G37 would also be used for off-line gauging of sampled lots.

The Results

In the past, the shipment got rejected whenever the metal was not within tolerance and the cost became insurmountable. Using the KEYENCE LK-G as an in-line non-contact measurement device made a big impact on the company’s production quality and costs.

It is now keeping their automotive customers happy since accurately gauged metal helps tooling last much longer.

Related Products

Ultra High-Speed/High-Accuracy Laser Displacement Sensor
LK-G5000 series

This sensor utilises laser triangulation to balance best-in-class speed and accuracy to provide excellent performance for a wide range of applications.