Quality: Moving Quality Intelligence into Manufacturing Machines

Chicago, Illinois - Today’s manufacturing environment has become increasingly dynamic. The need to create more intelligent production cells has become paramount to the success of how we build things. Historically, quality control has always been a down-stream process. It was not until the part or structure had been completely fabricated or assembled that a manufacturer would understand if a component was actually within specification. In this presentation, I will discuss how intelligent measurements can be placed within an automated cell to allow quality to drive the manufacturing process, improve throughput, and reduce scrap. 

The presentation will cover specific examples where both real-time and near real-time feedback is used to drive either an industrial robot or a large NC milling machine to control how a large assembly is manufactured. This method greatly reduces, or even eliminates in some cases, the need for a downstream QC process verification. Metrology can coexist within an existing manufacturing process by allowing the machines to either run more accurately, or even be used for independent part verification after a machining process.  Currently, we are seeing the involvement of strategic, industry-driven committees such as the PrecisionPath Consortium (an AMTech project) and the Coordinate Metrology Society helping to drive these manufacturing advancements forward. Today, much of the technology required is already available and ready to be applied to the intelligent manufacturing processes of tomorrow. 

About the speaker

Joel Martin serves as the Laser Tracker Product Manager for Hexagon Metrology, Inc. Martin has spent nearly 20 years dedicated to the Leica laser tracker product line and the industrial metrology market. He entered the profession as an Applications Engineer after his university studies in Electrical Engineering. He worked hands-on with clients to ensure successful product integration into industries such as automotive, aerospace and more. Martin transitioned into other roles in sales and key account management.

Promoted to Product Manager, Joel focused on new product development working closely with the technical staff at the Leica factory headquarters in Unterentfelden, Switzerland.

Martin is currently responsible for new business development of the Leica Absolute laser tracker product line into emerging and growing markets. He leads product development with a market- driven mindset focused on features, benefits, and solutions that satisfy end user requirements.

Joel has published multiple white papers on the use of laser trackers, metrology-assisted applications, and automation. He has presented internationally on the topic of laser trackers and how they apply to industry. Much of his recent work has been focused on how metrology applies to factory automation. Martin is the co-author of the patent for PowerLock, an innovative vision technology that greatly advanced the usability of laser tracker technology.