Gauge Replacement Technologies
This is a multi-part article meant to stimulate thought and gain feedback from readers regarding their knowledge and experience. Yes… Ultimately, I would like to encourage you to consider our technology, but I will not be upset if others post alternatives. Please LIKE and SHARE if you wish me to continue posting.
What you already know...
A larger majority of the manufacturing industries rely heavily on first article inspection gauges. This is most relevant for industries where volumes are either very high and/or product is very expensive. For instance, automobiles have over 25,000 components. Those components go into sub-assemblies and those sub-assemblies go into other sub-assemblies. The sub-assemblies work their way through Tier 3, Tier 2, Tier 1 suppliers to finally arrive at the Automotive Assembly line. In the end, a single component may be nested five or more sub-assemblies deep and may consist of components from several suppliers. A failure at the component or sub-assembly level can be considered catastrophic if accessing the component requires disassembly of each sub-assembly. For this reason, quality control throughout the process is extremely important and the cost of quarantine inspection and repair draws straight from profits.
Automotive Gauges
Automotive manufactures require custom variable or fixed gauges to be used during all phases of production from first article to final assembly inspection. This can be to verify fit and finish, dimensional checks or other quality related checks. In some cases, when a vendor is unable to meet quality standard goals, the automotive manufacturer may requires 100%-gauge checks.
This all demonstrates the need for gauges in the industry. But is this the best and most efficient method for quality gauging?
I believe the future of gauging is in non-contact measurement systems. Current technology includes White Light Scanning Systems, Blue Light Scanning, or Laser Scanning. Furthermore, metrology OEMs are increasing the capabilities of these technologies through their own methods. Over the last several years, this technology has slowly made its way into various areas where no previous means of measurement were viable. In most cases, the cost of this technology has been beyond the reach for many small Tier suppliers or for programs with limited capital budget.
Automotive manufacturer may typically purchase the fixed gauges to avoid losing them in the event a Tier supplier loses their business. This allows the gauges to be transferred to the new supplier to avoid delays or additional costs when the business changes hands.
What if these physical gauges were no longer required? What if innovation and technology stepped in and provided a means to perform coordinated measurements at a cost that is less than 10% the price quoted for comparable systems? What if the cost of one physical gauge amounted to over 70% the cost of this new flexible gauging system?
Of course, I am not talking about a simple gauge here. Some fixed gauges can cost over $150K to buy and require several hours of labor to perform one assembly check. If this gauge could be replaced by new technology capable of replacing 10 or more additional gauges, it would pay for itself in many ways. These include factory floor real estate, usage labor, maintenance, and insurance. Plus, think of the added benefits of having the ability to document and verify each measurement without human error.
To be continued….