THE PROBLEM:

Heavy industrial manufacturing is truly on a scale of its own. While the size and weight of this equipment may exceed all others, component complexity is just as high as in smaller machines. To keep up with these complexities, companies must adapt new technologies that keep dimensions accurate to fractions of a millimeter.

Rail manufacturers are increasingly interested in pinpointing and inspecting large frame, chassis and coach surfaces that are simply out of range of traditional methodologies like plumb bobs, tape measures or tight wire. The use of these traditional mechanical measuring tools is time-consuming, labor intensive, and may result in costly rework.

In comparison, using new state-of-the-art portable metrology tools like the Leica ATS600 laser tracker can accomplish these same inspections tasks in a fraction of the time with a higher degree of ac-curacy and less operator intervention.

Portable metrology is ready to meet the challenges of these applications in ways that have not been done before. By implementing state-of-the-art technology like The Leica Absolute Tracker ATS600, users will be able to reduce their measurement process from hours to minutes with the unique ability to digitize a surface, or simply give linear dimensional information from a distance of 60 meters with no target needed at the point of measurement.

APPLICATIONS

Coach Inspection: For accelerate performance and stability of the railcar, accurate coach inspection is vital. Beginning at the welding phase, the non-contact direct scanning capabilities of the Leica Absolute Tracker ATS600 allow for a smooth build and inspection process of the large-scale tooling, required by these welds. When the coach frame is joined, laser trackers can be used to level the coach to avoid torsion. Due to the size of these welds, it's often easy to miss points in the inspection process that are simply out of range for traditional plumb bobs, tape measures or tight wire.

Accuracy and Integrity of the Chassis and Frame: For the railcar to have stability and reliability on the track, the accuracy and dimensional integrity of the chassis and frame is critical. Because of the large-scale application that requires long distances and hidden point measurement, laser trackers and handheld probes offer the flexibility you need. Parts can be quickly measured before they are down the line in production. The Leica Absolute Tracker ATS600 enables mobility and flexibility, as opposed to traditional mechanical measuring tools, which are time-consuming and labor intensive.

Windscreen Geometry: High-speed trains are usually designed to have sophisticated, 3-D shaped windscreens. Laser Trackers deliver a flexible solution that can measure any type of train/windscreen geometry, and for those hard to reach measurement points the Leica Absolute Tracker ATS600 is the perfect tool for the job. By measuring a series of such points across a user-definable measurement area, the ATS600 can quickly produce a measurement grid defining the target measurement surface.

Click here to learn more about the Leica Absolute Tracker ATS600, the ultimate in high-speed inspection.