A daily regimen of gage verification, combined with empirical and statistical information gained during scheduled tool calibrations, can help track the optimum time intervals for calibration, keeping the measurement tools on the shop floor and operating at peak efficiency.
A traditional coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is more accurate than a noncontact optical system, but is slower and can't be used on soft or very small parts.
Palm-sized computer sales are booming as are its uses for discrete manufacturers who are taking advantage of new software and applications that have been devised for these small, lightweight and increasingly powerful portable computers.
Incompatibility among different brands of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and other metrology systems costs American business an estimated $1 billion each year.