The thrust from a turbine is generated through hundreds of precision blades spinning at 100,000 rpm. These blades have to be precision machined to a precise airfoil. If even one of these blades does not conform to the high tolerance, the entire engine could shake apart. For this reason, each and every blade is measured with Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM), which aid in the profile analysis of large turbine blades.
Recently, low CMM cycle time became a problem for one large engine component manufacturer that came to Solartron Metrology seeking assistance. They needed a technology more efficient and capable of calculating the various points throughout each and every blade in a shorter amount of time.
As a result, Solartron Metrology used its expertise to determine if multi-channel gauges fitted with 10mm Digital Pneumatic Probes could solve the problem.
The Digital Orbit Network’s ability to take up to 4,000 readings per second played a huge role in fixing the cycle time issue, measuring complex curves and doing it quickly, all while giving feedback on the precise geometry of each and every blade.
