A metal fabricator has increased production 250% through the use of a portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM).

The Faro Gage has given EMS efficiency and accuracy improvements over the manual measurement method it had used in the past. Source: Faro Technologies Inc.


Elyria Metal Spinning (EMS, Elyria, OH) has been a player in the metal fabrication industry for more than 40 years. EMS produces spun-metal parts for various industries including aerospace, automotive and medical. In addition to maintaining a strict source-inspection quality code for parts produced in-house, EMS also offers an inspection service for other fabricators. The company’s tool of choice: The Faro Gage from Faro Technologies Inc. (Lake Mary, FL).

Previously, EMS took measurements manually, recorded them and designed the parts by hand. The Faro Gage has improved this “old-school” method, allowing EMS to increase its accuracy and measurement effectiveness.

“We’ve increased production by 250% with the Faro Gage,” says EMS Plant General Manager Matthew Jackson. “Jobs that took two or three days to finish now take less than a half day, which gives us time to complete more projects.”

Created to be convenient for machinists and intuitive enough for shop-floor personnel, the Faro Gage empowers machine shops with 3-D measurement capabilities not currently available through less-advanced quality control methods. It is a personal coordinate measuring machine (CMM) that gives operators the power of a fixed CMM, but also adds portability, ease of use and cost-effectiveness.

With the Faro Gage, EMS has added the inspection tool that allows it to increase high-quality and high-volume output to meet the needs of more high-profile clients. Source Faro Technologies Inc.

The Faro Gage can be mounted to machinery and measures parts in process with up to 0.0004-inch accuracy-or even 0.0002 inch with the Faro Gage-PLUS. Gage operators also can generate the geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and statistical process control (SPC) reports that quality control managers and an increasing number of outside vendors are requiring.

According to Jackson, the Faro Gage also has helped EMS win major contracts and gain new business. When EMS sought after a major client, it had to accept the challenge of producing a high volume of a complex part. The challenge included a rigorous source inspection. EMS decided that its former measurement methods would not work for such a client, and turned to the Faro Gage. The source inspection went flawlessly and the project has been a major success for EMS.

“Out of 10,000 pieces, only 18 didn’t pass inspection and that was only because the outside vendor’s product was faulty; the Gage helped us to pinpoint the cause as well,” says Jackson. EMS has since been awarded a second contract because of this project’s success.

EMS has built its reputation on quality and the ability to meet its customers’ needs. And with the Faro Gage, EMS has added an inspection tool that allows it to increase high-quality and high-volume output to meet the needs of more high-profile clients.

Faro Technologies Inc.
(800) 736-0234
www.faro.com

Benefits

  • With the Faro Gage, EMS has experienced a 250% increase in production.

  • EMS says the Faro Gage has helped it win major contracts and gain new business.

  • The Faro gage gives EMS 0.0004-inch measurement accuracy.