Medical Intramedullary Nails (IM Nails) Inspection

VisionGauge® for Fast, Accurate, and Robust Inspection & Measurement of Medical Intramedullary Nails

Intramedullary (IM) nails have long been used to treat fractures of long bones in the human body. An IM nail is a metal rod forced into the medullary cavity of a bone. IM nails are most often made of titanium, which provides low mechanical failure rates and good biocompatibility.

The fractures in which IM nails are used are inherently unstable. So-called ‘locking’ nails, which are now the standard, use bolts on each end of the nail to fix it to the bony cortex, thus preventing collapse or rotation between the bone fragments.

IM nails are widely used and provide an efficient, practical solution for treating a wide range of fractures (including shoulder, humerus, elbow, hip, femur & tibia…). As such, they are available in a very wide range of lengths, sizes and geometries. Also, for a given nail type and model, a variety of diameters and lengths are generally available, to accommodate varying patient anatomy.

VisionGauge® Can Inspect Nails of Any Size

Medical Intramedullary Nails Inspection and Measurement

Each nail is designed to be used in a very specific application to closely replicate the fractured bone’s pre-injury state. Nails often have bows that correspond to the bow of the natural bone. They can present a fluted design to moderate stiffness and facilitate nail placement. And nail tips are often designed to help the passage of the nail through the medullary canal. Finally, many nail systems include both left and right versions.

These product variations combined with their complex geometries and anatomic shapes make the inspection of medical nails very challenging. With VisionGauge®, these long parts don’t need to be inspected section-by-section like they were with traditional optical comparators. This provides a significant advantage. With VisionGauge®, the entire part can be inspected in its entirety, because the overlay tracks the part as it moves across the stage travel. This means that VisionGauge® is not limited by the length of the IM nails in any way.

The facts that VisionGauge® requires no programming and can very quickly change from one job to the next (& back…) are also huge advantages for this application. VisionGauge® can also inspect the fixation devices and instruments that often accompany the nails, which is another significant benefit.

Furthermore, for fast and accurate inspection of intramedullary nails, the VisionGauge® patented CAD Auto-Align™ and CAD Auto-PASS/FAIL™ tools are real “game-changers” as they produce fast and repeatable operator-independent results.

Finally, VisionGauge® can be used to carry out complete data capture, compute statistics, create reports and collect device history, directly on the shop floor.

VisionGauge IM Nail Inspection Supports Various Lengths

VisionGauge® can also be used to verify the anti-rotation holes, locking tabs and other features of IM nails.

With all of its advanced, up-to-date technology, the 500 Series VisionGauge® system really is the ideal solution for the inspection and measurement of medical intramedullary nails.

Download a .pdf version of this VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator Application Note.

Inspection of Medical/Surgical Instruments

VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators For Accurate Inspection & Measurement Of Medical/Surgical Instruments

Surgical and medical instruments play a critical role in a wide range of medical procedures and can directly impact patient safety and outcome. It is of paramount importance for medical device manufacturers to ensure that the various surgical and medical instruments they produce meet all their design requirements and dimensional characteristics.

The 500 Series VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is the ideal solution for achieving this goal. It was designed in close collaboration with a large medical OEM and it has the flexibility to handle the wide variety of surgical and medical instruments that exist. The system can verify all the complex features found on surgical and medical instruments and meet the wide range of measurement requirements these parts can present.

Our digital optical comparators are a non-contact solution that provides transmitted as well as various types of on-axis and oblique reflected illumination to allow users to inspect all areas of the parts, even those with very complex geometries!

Perfect to check a wide range of surgical & medical instruments

Because it’s a fast system that can be used directly on the production floor, when it identifies a defect users can often take direct corrective action and remedy the problem, rather than continuing adding value to an out-of-spec part. The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator really does make the measurement process more efficient and helps reduce cost for manufacturers. It allows them to increase productivity and shorten inspection & measurement times.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator offers a deep toolbox of specialized inspection and measurement modes to enable, for example, the accurate measurement of the location of grooves, markings and other types of unconventional features that specialized medical instruments can display. The system is also ideal for dealing with complex surfaces and geometries and parts made of unconventional and difficult-to-measure materials.

Automatically Compare Parts to their CAD File and Get an Automatic PASS / FAIL Result

Fast!
Accurate!
Very General-Purpose & Widely-Applicable System!
Easy to operate!

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is an all-in-one solution for the inspection and measurement of surgical and medical instruments. It provides manufacturers with the flexibility and repeatability they need to optimise even their most challenging workflows.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is a multi-purpose machine that has the flexibility to support the quality needs of the full range of products produced by medical manufacturers.

With VisionGauge®, instruments with cutting edges such as scissors, rongeurs, chisels, curettes, etc., can be checked for sharpness and to ensure that there are no dull spots, chips, or dents. Hinged instruments such as clamps and forceps can be checked for alignment of jaws and teeth. And so on… The system’s great ease-of-use and flexibility make it the ideal solution for just about every type of medical instrument.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator delivers maximum performance and is ideal for fast and automated data collection & reporting. It is perfect for ensuring the traceability of medical instruments!

Advantages
Additional Images

Advantages

There are many reasons why the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is widely used by many manufacturers in the medical industry – both large and small – to check medical instruments:

Automatically compare parts to their CAD data (no more overlays!)
With its proprietary patented CAD-Auto-Align™ and CAD-Auto-Pass/Fail™ tools, the system can check parts completely automatically!
Demonstrated accuracy down to +/-0.0001″ in real-world applications, directly on the shop floor!
Eliminate operator subjectivity!
Much faster than traditional approaches.
Because there is no programming, this system is especially well adapted for small lots & quick part changeover
Automatically collect measurements, statistics, images and other data for complete documentation. Automatically collect complete device history!
The system is not limited to the camera’s field-of-view; It can compare a part to its CAD data across the entire stage travel. So even large parts can be checked at high magnification, with very fine resolution.
With its extended optical depth-of-field and Auto-Focus tool, the system is perfectly suited to deal with the challenges of medical instrument inspection.
Different types of adapted computer-controlled LED illumination are available to eliminate glare and make defects stand out
Automatically measure and display deviations from nominal and quickly identify out-of-tolerance areas. The system has an extensive measurement toolset!
The system is extremely easy-to-use and is perfectly adapted for the production floor!

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is rapidly becoming the new standard for inspecting instruments in the medical industry.

Additional Images

Inspection of Manufactured Medical Tools

Medical instruments inspection of cutting edges

Perfect to check a wide range of medical instruments

Contact us about the details of your application and learn more about the other applications VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators can solve.

Download a .pdf version of this Application Note.

Stent Inspection and Measurement

The Perfect Solution for Stent Inspection and Measurement

Stents are critical precision devices in which no manufacturing imperfections can be accepted. The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is your complete solution to carry out the inspection and measurement of coronary, endovascular, and other types of stents.

stent pattern example

What Are Stents?

Stents are small, expandable tubes used to treat narrowed arteries. They are a crucial part of treating many health conditions and are often made of metal. As a piece of medical equipment that enters the body, stent manufacturing leaves no room for error. Our inspection systems help you ensure quality control in your stent measurement efforts.

How the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator Can Improve Your Stent Inspection and Measurement

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator offers comprehensive metrology for stent manufacturing to help you ensure high quality in every stent that passes through your production line.

Fast, Accurate Inspections With No Subjectivity

With VisionGauge®, you can quickly perform fast and highly accurate inspections on 100% of your parts, directly on the production floor. Our unbiased stent measurement and inspection tools completely eliminate operator subjectivity for dependable results every time.

Unparalleled Flexibility and Versatility

VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators have a broad set of measurement, defect detection, and pattern-matching tools to quickly, easily, and accurately carry out all required verifications. Our solutions range from manual to fully automated, so you can choose the right one for your operation.

With no limitations on stent length or diameter, you can verify parts across the entire stage travel and check even large parts at high magnification with very fine resolution. The system supports both bare-metal uncoated stents and drug-eluting coated stents.

High-Resolution, Advanced Stent Inspection Tools

Our stent manufacturing quality control and inspection solutions offer precision and performance with advanced patented and patent-pending technology and powerful features like:

An integrated 4th axis rotating mandrel for full 360° inspection at very high resolution
Extended optical depth-of-field and long working distances to meet the challenges of stent inspection
Automatic measurements and displaying deviations from nominal, so you can quickly identify out-of-tolerance areas
Operator review tools you can use for defect evaluation and classification
Automatic collection of measurement results, statistics, images, and additional data for complete electronic documentation and reporting

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator can verify stent integrity, measure critical dimensions, and verify patterns. Our systems are fast, easy-to-operate, and highly-accurate – capable of exceeding the most demanding inspection requirements.

Verify stent integrity & measure critical dimensions

VisionGauge® supports different types, lengths & diameters of stents

Able to verify different patterns

Download a .pdf version of this Application Note.

Contact us with your application requirements and to learn more about additional applications successfully using the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator.

Learn More About Metrology Solutions for Stent Manufacturing

Patients and providers should never wonder if their stents were built properly. You can ensure quality results with every product through dependable stent measurement and inspection tools.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator supports stent manufacturers with a range of advanced features and a system that prioritizes accuracy and flexibility. We’ll help you choose and implement the right solution for your operations and can even provide training services to help you use it as effectively as possible.

Reach out to us today to discuss your application with a representative or learn more about how our customers use the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator.

Automatic Bone Screw Inspection and Measurement with VisionGauge®

VisionGauge® for Orthopedic Screw Inspection

Orthopedic reconstructive and reparative procedures commonly use medical bone screws as fixation devices. Among other applications, they are employed for bone-to-bone fixation. The bone heals better and faster if the fractures are pressed together firmly by orthopedic screws. The advantage of these screws is that they reduce the gap between the bones, and, consequently, decrease the stress. Another common use of medical bone screws is to attach various implants, such as plates, to the bone. Medical bone screws are also utilized for a variety of other general anchorage and fixation purposes.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is widely used by medical device manufacturers for automated inspection and orthopedic/medical bone screw measurement.

Learn More

Bone screw teeth verification with the VisionGauge® “Tooth Checker™” tool

Patented CAD-Auto-Align™, CAD-Auto-Pass/Fail™ & Tooth Checker™ tools are perfect for locating the teeth crests and/or roots and checking the part’s profile

X-ray showing fracture after stabilization with dynamic hip screw with long plate

Benefits

Benefits of Bone Screw Inspection with VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators

VisionGauge® introduces several unique benefits in its application to medical bone screw measurement and inspection, including:

Compare bone screws directly to their CAD part design data.
The system checks screws 100% automatically in any orientation using its proprietary, patented CAD Auto-Align™ and CAD Auto-Pass/Fail™ tools.
The patented VisionGauge® Tooth Checker™ inspects the screw thread profile automatically, to verify all the peaks and valleys respect their specified tolerance band, regardless of the screw’s clocking.
Removes all operator subjectivity!
Automatically collects all result data for a complete device inspection history, including measurements, statistics, images, and more.
An extended depth-of-field permits the entire screw to be in focus – even at the helix angle, so there is no need for constantly refocusing!
Measure all of the screw’s characteristics to very high accuracy, completely automatically: Major/minor diameters, spacing and tooth pitch, runout, and other characteristics…
As an option, the system supports a rotary stage for very accurate, automated measurement of the helix angle.
The system is perfectly suited for bone screw inspection and measurement directly from the shop floor.

CAD Auto Pass/Fail and CAD Auto-Align tools on the VisionGauge Digital Optical Comparator inspecting threads and other features of interest on bone screws.

Check all the features of interest, quickly and to very high accuracy.

Multiple bone screws ready for automated inspection on the VisionGauge Digital Optical Comparator

Load multiple screws onto the system to have them all checked completely automatically

Features and Supported Measurements

Features and Supported Bone Screw Measurements with VisionGauge®

Orthopedic bone screws are made up of different features, with the principal features comprised of the head, thread, and tip. Different requirements apply to each feature to ensure proper overall performance of the screw. These diverse requirements can considerably complicate the inspection of bone screws. However, VisionGauge® can easily check 100% of the features over the entire screw, including its threads, head, and tip.

The importance of proper bone screw measurement and inspection, both during the manufacturing process and at final inspection, cannot be overstated. Proper inspection allows bone screw manufacturers to ensure correct performance, conformance to specifications, and reduced variability of the final product. Furthermore, real-time inspection and measurement with VisionGauge® allows medical manufacturers to optimize the manufacturing process, reduce overall manufacturing costs, improve process control and enable process & part improvement. VisionGauge®’s statistics, data collection & exchange, and reporting provide manufacturers with product traceability and device history.

VisionGauge®’s patented Tooth Checker™ is a fundamental feature for this optimal inspection of bone screw threads. The tool is easy-to-use, and it imposes no limits on the part geometry. It can quickly ensure that the thread peaks and valleys are all located within the specification’s tolerance band, regardless of the screw’s clocking. This powerful, unique tool represents a dramatic advance for bone screw inspection technology. For medical bone screw manufacturers, an accurate thread profile is critical since a number of the screw’s properties (e.g., its pull-out strength…) directly depend on the screw thread profile. These manufacturers will appreciate the completely operator-independent results and many other drastic improvements presented by VisionGauge®’s patented Tooth Checker™ tool compared to the traditional optical comparator and overlay charts approach historically used to control screw threads.

VisionGauge® is capable of measuring 100% of the screw’s critical dimensions and features, including:

Major diameter
Minor diameter
Helix angle
Thread pitch
Pitch Diameter
Lead/trailing flank angles

Root radii
Lead
Taper
Circularity
and more…

Automatic inspection and measurement of threads and other dimensions of a bone screw

Automatically check screw dimensions

Check all of the features on the head

Finally, a dedicated complete dual-rotary assembly, designed specifically for the fully automated inspection and measurement of bone screws, is also available. It allows the full rotation of the screw (to check run-out, for example), its orientation at the helix angle, etc… This package also includes dedicated workholding (either pneumatic or manual) compatible with bone screws that have a thru hole as well as those without. When fitted with a pneumatic chuck, this dedicated dual-rotary assembly allows VisionGauge® to be used in a fully-automated bone screw manufacturing cell, with robot loading and unloading, for complete “lights out” operation.

Additional Information

Additional Information About Orthopedic Screws

There exists a wide range of orthopedic screws and they are often named after the type of bones in which they are inserted during the surgery. A few common types include:

Cortical screws that are designed for anchoring a cortical bone and have threads with a very fine pitch. Cortical bones are dense and compact.
Cancellous screws have coarser threads that are smooth, with unthreaded portion that allows the screw to act as a lag screw. A cancellous screw is longer than a cortical screw. Cancellous bones are also termed as spongy bones since they are a bit softer than the cortical bones. Examples of such bones include the ribs and pelvic bones.
Cannulated screws, that have a hollow shaft.
Herbert orthopedic screws are a variable pitch cannulated screw that are designed for fractures in small articular bones, such as the carpals. These screws are used mainly where a standard screw would affect adjacent tissue, such as in the case of the treatment of scaphoideum or osteoarticular fractures.
And many others as well…

With its wide range of measurement tools and great flexibility, VisionGauge® is the perfect tool for inspecting and measuring 100% of the features on all of the different types of bone screws.

VisionGauge® includes complete inspection and measurement toolsets for checking and verifying a wide variety of surgical screws.

Thoracic lumbar vertebra pedicle screws.

Orthopedic screws can be made of different materials and have a wide range of coatings. Titanium, stainless steel and bio-absorbable materials, that get absorbed by the body over time, are the most common types of materials for bone screws. By design, bone screws require hard-to-machine materials. This only compounds the difficulties involved in machining their complex threads. This further increases the importance of complete and proper inspection and measurement of bone screws throughout their manufacturing process, for proper control. With its flexible illumination modules and powerful adaptive measurement tools, VisionGauge® has no problem accommodating any of the variations in bone screw material and finish.

Overview Video

$X-ray of wrist fracture stabilized with plate and bone screws$

For inspection and measurement of orthopedic screws on the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator, some manufacturers use horizontal configurations, while others use a vertical configuration. The decision to use one or the other is generally based on fixturing considerations. The hard chrome plated stage, made from hardened tooling steel, has industry standard dual dovetail grooves that make it compatible with existing mounting fixtures, and a drop-in replacement for traditional optical comparators. Rotary stages are also an option that can be added to these systems.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is the new standard in measuring and controlling the geometry of medical/orthopedic bone screws. Screw manufacturers can ensure their product has good dimensional accuracy and surface finish while also significantly reducing inspection times and overall cost. Operator-to-operator variation is entirely eliminated with this system, and manufacturers are capable of automatically collecting accurate screw dimensions and inspection result data, computing process statistics, and automating complete inspection reports. The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is an invaluable tool for process control and quality improvement, and it represents a significant advantage in modern competitive medical markets for bone screw manufacturers.

Download a .pdf version of this VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator Application Note.

Plastic/Polymer Medical Implants

VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator For Accurate & Robust Inspection & Measurement Of Plastic Medical Implants

A wide variety of plastic materials are used in medical implants. For example, today most total knee replacement implants and many total hip replacement implants contain ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Among other benefits, this plastic provides cushioning and movement. Other examples of plastic medical implants include high density polyethylene (HDPE) for facial reconstruction implants and polyketones (PEEK) that are common for spinal applications. For the right applications, plastic materials can present significant benefits as plastics are in general both more resistant to chemicals and lighter than metals. Given all of this, it’s not surprising that the range of medical implant applications for plastics is very wide.

Total hip and knee replacement systems are made up of both metal & plastic components

Many plastic medical implants can be produced using conventional manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, injection molding, and 3D printing. This allows the fabrication of medical implants with very complex and unique geometries.

Plastic Medical Implant Inspection

However, like with all medical implants, the tight geometries involved need to be precisely controlled. In the past, this was often problematic as traditional optical comparators, historically one of the most used inspection systems for medical implants, have struggled when dealing with plastic parts. Specifically, the image of plastic parts produced by these systems tends to exhibit lots of glare and reflections. With traditional optical comparators, it’s often difficult to determine an appropriate level of illumination for plastic and polymer implants that allows the user to make out the features of interest without creating an over-brilliance of other surfaces. It’s a difficult balance that tends to introduce even more operator-subjectivity.

Digital Optical Comparators Ensure Quality Control of Plastic Medical Implants

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator overcomes all these limitations. Its illumination is based on new and completely different technology that produces crisp and clear high-resolution images, with high contrast and superb definition, of plastic parts. Furthermore, all of VisionGauge®’s illumination is LED-based and programmable. This eliminates operator-to-operator variability and produces repeatable illumination conditions for extremely repeatable plastic parts measurements!

Plastic implants come in many different geometries to carry out a wide range of functions

Medical industry plastic implant measurements

VisionGauge®’s illumination works just as well on plastic parts as it does on metal parts

The crisp & sharp edges produced by VisionGauge® allow for very accurate measurements

LED-based Illumination for High-accuracy Measurement

VisionGauge®’s illumination is extremely flexible and many different types are available (i.e. transmitted, reflected on-axis and off-axis, etc.). The LED-based illumination also produces very low heat, requires very little power and remains stable over a very long lifetime.

With its new, advanced and flexible illumination, the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is the ideal solution for detailed inspection and high-accuracy measurement of the wide variety of plastic medical implants being produced by today’s medical manufacturers – directly on the shop floor with no operator-to-operator variability.

Contact us about the details of your application and learn more about the other applications VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators can solve.

Download a .pdf version of this Application Note.

Hole Array Inspection and Measurement

VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators for Fast, Easy, and Accurate Hole Array Inspection & Measurement

Some applications involve parts with a great many holes (for example: many thousands) that need to be checked. These parts can be made of different materials. We’ve worked on metal, carbon, ceramic and silicon parts like this. These parts are sometimes referred to as hole arrays or micro hole arrays.

These types of parts are used in different industries. Defense, semiconductor manufacturing, aviation and aerospace are a few industries that come to mind. Depending on the application, the holes can have different functions. Often, their presence has something to do with controlling a flow (of a gas, of particles, etc.). There could be different reasons for such flow control: It might be for cooling purposes, for uniformity of dispersion, etc. Gas Distribution Plates, used in semiconductor manufacturing and plasma reactors, are a typical example of these types of parts.

These parts are typically difficult to manufacture, and the holes have obviously been included in the part’s design for a reason, i.e. they have a role to play, typically a key one. So, most often, these parts need to be inspected in great detail to ensure that they will meet their requirements.

There are many different parts, across many different industries, that have a great many holes that need to be inspected

Typically, the inspection needs to ensure that all of the holes are present and that their location and geometry are correct. Note that, in some cases and depending on functional requirements, the holes might not necessarily be round. In fact, we’ve come across quite a wide range of different hole geometries in these types of projects. VisionGauge automated hole inspection programs have no limits to hole geometry or placement

Inspecting 100% of the holes can be both challenging and extremely time consuming. Most inspection systems, to obtain the needed level of detail, proceed hole-by-hole. If a part has 18,000 holes, for example, then even if every individual hole can be dealt with quickly, this approach still takes a tremendous amount of time to cover the entire part. We’ve heard of parts for which a complete inspection required full days and even multiple days.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is especially well suited to applications where parts have a very large number (e.g. many thousands) of closely grouped holes as it can analyze all of the holes visible in the entire field-of-view at once, very quickly and accurately. This approach involves absolutely no compromise on accuracy. All the while, throughput is increased tremendously.

Motion operations (i.e. physically moving the part or the camera) are typically the most time-consuming steps in inspection and measurement programs. In applications involving a large number of closely grouped holes, the optimized approach offered by VisionGauge® drastically reduces the number of motion operations needed since it doesn’t involve hole-by-hole movement but rather simply ensuring that the entire part has been scanned through field-of-view-by-field-of-view coverage.

Furthermore, VisionGauge® can analyze every individual hole in the field-of-view extremely quickly (e.g. milliseconds) as it captures a great many measurement points (typically: thousands) almost instantly.

Multiple hole location inspection (starting image)

Multiple hole location inspection (selection image)

Analyzing all of the holes in VisionGauge®’s large field-of-view in a single operation provides for an enormous speedup

Outline of the Inspection Approach:

In broad terms, this approach involves the following steps:

Scanning the part, field-of-view by field-of-view
At every field-of-view:
- Capturing an image
- Locating the holes
- Saving the hole data (i.e. X,Y location, & geometry)

After the entire part has been scanned, comparing the measured hole data against the nominal hole data

So, in terms of programming, the program involves only a small number of instructions.

Scanning the Part

This is done using the software’s “Motion Control” tool, i.e:

Motion control step setup for microhole array inspection

As can be see above: we select the “Scan” mode, specify the 2 corners of the rectangular area to be scanned and also specify an overlap to ensure that every hole is completely visible in at least one field-of-view (i.e. we want to avoid that half the hole is visible in one field-of-view and that the other half is visible in the next field-of-view).

Capturing an Image

This is done using the software’s “Image Capture” tool.

Locating the holes and saving the hole data

This is done using the software’s “Counting & Sizing” tool, i.e.:

Hole array counting & sizing configuration

This is an extremely general-purpose tool and you shouldn’t be taken aback when you see all of the parameters in the above window as – for this application – we don’t need most of them.

Here we simply set thresholds to separate the holes from the background (we can use adaptive thresholds that are extremely powerful…). We also tell the tool to disregard the holes touching the borders: With the scanning overlap, this is how we ensure that every hole is seen completely at least once.

The images below, taken from a previous application of this type, illustrate this tool’s operation. Note that for reasons specific to this historical application, the images below are front illuminated (i.e. captured using reflected illumination). The holes thus appear dark and the part light. In most applications, we would use back (i.e. transmitted) illumination, which yields even more robust results.

Raw image

Analyzed image (i.e. the holes extracted are in red)

Comparing the measured hole data against the nominal hole data

This is done using an external “Hole Checker” library that we have developed for exactly these types of applications. It reads-in a user-supplied text file with the nominal hole data (i.e. X,Y location and diameter, in the most basic case). It then compares the measured hole data to the nominal hole data. Note that if (because of the Image overlap) a hole was measured more than once, it is only the first of these measurements that is considered.

This “Hole Checker” tool produces a text file with 1 line per (nominal) hole, every line containing:

The hole number (same as the input / nominal file)
The hole nominal position (same as the input / nominal file)
A PASS or FAIL indicating if the hole was found
If the hole was found: the measured X & Y hole position
If the hole was found: the measured hole diameter

Note that VisionGauge®’s “Map View” tool can also be used to provide a graphical layout of the results, as well as allow easy “operator review” of the results (i.e. click on a hole and the software brings it back in the middle of the field of view, so that the operator can revisit / review, etc.).

VisionGauge®’s extensive CAD-Comparison capabilities

Of course, VisionGauge® also has extensive CAD-Comparison capabilities (i.e. patented CAD Auto-Align™ & CAD Auto-PASS/FAIL™ tools). These can also be useful in this application, at the very least for “quick inspection & verification” purposes. For example: bring up the CAD file and quickly manually “move around the part” and generally asses the alignment of the holes to the CAD data. This can provide a quick confirmation / sanity-check as to whether or not “things look good” and glaring defects will “jump out” at the operator.

Summary

VisionGauge® offers powerful and unique tools that allow for highly optimized inspection and measurement of parts with a large number of holes, much faster than with traditional approaches. The results produced by VisionGauge® remain very accurate, to the instrument’s full resolution. Furthermore, these fast, accurate, and fully-automated inspections are very easy to setup with VisionGauge®.

Download a .pdf version of this VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator Application Note.

Read more about other applications VisionGauge® software and systems are being used to solve.

Inspection of Broach Cutters

The perfect solution for checking broach cutters

Broaching is used when precision machining is required, especially for unusual shapes. Among other uses, broaching machines are often used to manufacture, to very high accuracy, the slots in aircraft and land-based turbine discs. To achieve the required accuracy, the broach cutters need to be inspected and measured to very high accuracy. The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is the ideal solution to monitor the broach cutters. The system can automatically verify their profile and control key dimensions. The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is extremely fast and accurate, it can be used directly on the shop floor, and it is free from any operator error.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is used by manufacturers to check broach cutters:

VisionGauge Digital Optical Comparator inspecting broach cutters

Quickly check 100% of your production, directly on the shop floor!
Eliminate operator subjectivity!
Our systems are much faster & much more accurate than traditional approaches.
Because the system doesn’t require any programming, it is extremely fast and well adapted for quick part changeover
The system is appropriate for both small & large parts. You can check parts across the entire stage travel so that even large parts can be checked at high magnification, with very fine resolution.
With its extended optical depth-of-field and Auto-Focus tool, the system is perfectly suited to deal with the challenges of precision broach cutter inspection.
Advanced patented & patent-pending technology!
Automatically measure and display deviations from nominal and quickly identify out-of-tolerance areas.
Automatically collect measurements, statistics, images, and other data for complete documentation & reporting.
The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is a drop-in replacement for traditional optical comparators.
The system has a broad set of measurement tools to quickly, easily, and very accurately carry out all required verifications.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is the new standard for inspecting all kinds of precision broach cutters.

Much higher accuracy, directly on the shop floor!

Overall view of broach inspection and measurement

Automatically compare the part to its CAD file and carry out a wide range of high-accuracy measurements

Inspection and Measurement of Broach Cutters

Accurately check a wide range of broach cutters

Download a .pdf version of this Application Note.

Contact us to let us know the details of your application and to learn more about additional applications that use VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators.

Industrial Gas Turbine (IGT) Bucket Inspection

High-Accuracy Inspection and Measurement of Industrial Gas Turbine (IGT) Buckets

Industrial Gas Turbine buckets, blades, and nozzles encounter high temperatures and extreme force. Modern-designed gas turbine blades and turbine buckets operate under extreme industrial stresses, and the ever-increasing performance requirements of land-based gas turbines requires that they be manufactured to meet tighter and tighter requirements. Blades and buckets represent some of the most critical parts in power generation systems and their fir tree dovetail root form is where some of the tightest-tolerance requirements are found.

Installation of a bucket on a gas turbine disk

The Super-Extended 500 Series VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators are designed to carry out very high-accuracy inspection and measurement of large parts and heavy loads and, as such, they are perfectly suited to the inspection and high-accuracy measurement of Industrial Gas Turbine (IGT) Buckets.

VisionGauge® systems – with their patented CAD Auto-Align™ and CAD Auto-Pass/Fail™ tools – are the perfect solution to check the bucket’s root form profile as well as the profile’s location relative to the part’s datum set.

VisionGauge® is extremely fast, produces very high-accuracy operator-independent results, and can automatically produce complete inspection reports.

a visiongauge machine sat next to a computer on a tall black stand — The super-extended travel configuration 500 Series VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator for inspection of large and heavy parts.

Super-Extended Travel 500 Series VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator inspecting fir tree / root forms on buckets — Fir Tree / Root Form Inspection with the Super-Extended Travel 500 Series VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator

The Super-Extended Travel Configuration of the 500 Series VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator accommodates up to 60″ of travel and supports heavy loads up to 300 pounds. These systems are very robust and ready to operate directly on the shop floor.

VisionGauge®’s patented inspection technology quickly and accurately computes and displays the deviation from nominal at a part’s control sections and compares the results to bi-directional tolerances. The result of each comparison can be collected in a report and an overall Pass/Fail or Go/No-Go result can be output for each part. You can check parts against their CAD data across the entire range of travel, beyond the optical field-of-view – completely automatically.

Contact us for more information about how our VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators can meet and surpass even the strictest of your Industrial Gas Turbine application requirements, including IGT bucket inspection and measurement.

Learn about other applications regularly being solved with VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators, including additional applications in the Power and Energy / Industrial Gas Turbine market.

Precision Bearings Inspection and Measurement

VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators are the perfect solution for checking precision bearings.

Precision bearings provide high runout accuracy and generally need to support high rotating speeds, often in the presence of large loads. They are used in a very wide range of applications. A few examples include:

wind turbines
helicopter rotors
gear drives
crop shears
rolling mills
machine tools spindles

other machine spindles (e.g. balancing machines)
high speed turbochargers
cement crushing equipment
machine components for the semiconductor industry
etc…

Precision bearings must be manufactured to very high accuracy to ensure that they provide superior rotational accuracy and consistency, minimize drag, reduce heat generation, and provide long life.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is used by manufacturers to check all types of precision bearings, directly on the shop floor. These systems are much faster and much more accurate than traditional approaches, and they eliminate operator subjectivity. The system doesn’t require any programming, so it is especially well-adapted for small lots and quick part changeover. Moreover, with an extended optical depth-of-field and Auto-Focus tool, the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is perfectly suited to deal with the challenges of precision bearing inspection.

Bearing gap measurements — Accurately measure all key characteristics, including roller drop, cage clearance, etc…

VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators include advanced patented and patent-pending technology, including tools to automatically measure and display deviations from a part’s nominal and quickly identify out-of-tolerance areas. The systems automatically collect measurement results, images, statistics, and other useful data for complete documentation and reporting.

The VisionGauge® OnLine software that drives the system includes an extensive set of measurement and inspection tools allowing you to quickly and easily verify with high-accuracy all required characteristics of bearings (roller drop, cage clearance, etc…). All types and sizes of bearings are supported. VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators are appropriate for both small and large parts: You can check parts across the entire stage travel so that even large parts can be checked at high magnification, with very fine resolution.

Accurately check tapered roller bearings

VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators to check precision bearings are available with a variety of customizations, including horizontal and vertical configurations, multiple magnifications, extended travels, options for illumination, optional laser measurement modules, and much more. The system is a complete, drop-in replacement for traditional optical comparators, proven to increase throughput and improve accuracy in verifying your production.

verification of precision bearings Inspection and measurement of precision bearings

The system is very flexible and can be used to check different types and sizes of bearings

Much higher repeatability, directly on the shop floor!

Contact us with the details of your application to find out why the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is the new standard to inspect all kinds of precision bearings.

Download a .pdf version of this VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator Application Note.

Learn more about the many applications solved with VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators.

Orthopedic/Medical Rasp Inspection and Measurement

VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators are the Perfect Solution for Inspecting Orthopedic/Medical Rasps

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is widely used by orthopedic implant manufacturers to check medical rasps for a number of reasons:

Automatically compare parts to their CAD data (no more overlays!)
With its patented CAD Auto-Align™ and CAD Auto-Pass/Fail™ tools, the system can check rasps completely automatically!
VisionGauge®’s patented Tooth Checker™ tool automatically identifies the part’s teeth and allows you to check all roots and crests against their tolerances.
Check the entire profile at once or each tooth individually, directly on the shop floor!
Eliminate operator subjectivity!
Much faster than traditional approaches.
Because the system doesn’t require any programming, it is especially well-adapted for small lots and quick part changeover.
Automatically collect measurements, images, statistics, and other data for complete device history documentation.
The system is not limited to the camera’s field-of-view; It can compare a part directly to its CAD data across the entire stage travel, so even large parts can be checked at high magnification, with very fine resolution.
The system is perfectly suited to deal with challenging applications in orthopedic implant inspection with its extended optical depth-of-field and Auto-Focus tool.
Different types of adapted computer-controlled LED illumination are supported to eliminate glare and make defects stand out. The system works extremely well on both metal & plastic parts!
Automatically measure and display deviations from nominal and quickly identify out-of-tolerance areas.

Medical rasps inspection with multiple entities verification

The system is very flexible and supports different inspection approaches depending on what you want to check…

Examples of measurements performed on medical rasps

Measure tooth height, tooth spacing, tooth angle, tooth bottom radius, etc…

The system’s front illumination produces a very sharp image showing a very high level of detail.

The VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator is the new standard for inspecting rasps, orthopedic tools, and implants in the medical industry. Contact us with your application for more information and videos showing rasps inspection in action.

Download a .pdf version of this VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator Application Note here.