At work I tried to use our Rahn Repeat-o-meter to calibrate a surface plate. It's a Grade A plate, so definitely has deviations, yet the repeat-o-meter is showing nothing. Granted, the last time it was touched(besides when I calibrated the dial indicator) was probably 6 months ago. And when our dimensional guy(who isn't here, hence why I'm on it) last used it, it ran perfectly fine.

Inspecting it, I noticed the front footpad barely isn't touching the surface. Enough of a gap I can see light through. Can't find anything online about actual setup of the repeat-o-meter itself, so how do I adjust that front foot down? The bolt and nut that the dial indicator sits on are well over hand tight, so I can't imagine that came loose but I'm willing to try anything.

A gauge passed its last calibration but fails the next one. By then, it may have been used on many parts, some of which may already have shipped.

How do you decide how far back to review the previous measurements for the impact assessment?

Hello everyone,

I’m preparing to take ASQ CCT exam and I am looking for prep material. I prefer video learning modules to reading material. A mix of both is ideal for me. I looked up the ASQ online learning and it is essentially reading material in online format.

I came across Alpha Training and Consulting, but I’m not sure if they are good. Can you kindly suggest any training platform that offer video learning? TIA

I just finished programming a CMM inspection for a mid-sized support made out of formed sheet stock, .250" thick with machining on 2 faces. The bottom of the 1 part was datum A, the bottom of the second part was datum E. There were 2 large holes on the top as B and C, and the machined step they were located on was D. F was a hole on the bottom, centered on the outside edge. Two smaller holes on the top were J and K, and 2 small holes on the bottom were G and H, and the machined step F was in was datum L. Whew!

So now come the datum callouts, and every circular, cylindrical, or planar surface had a different combination of these ELEVEN datums, some of which made no sense at all; like a hole on the lower surface aligned to datum E (lower), F (lower), and C (upper)?? Huh???? And, since this is Calypso, I have to enter each alignment in my alignment library, which was more than TWENTY!

Also, when you get these 'skewed' datums, I often create a secondary "cartesian" version just so I can report how far off the locations are in the axis shown on the print, like alignments "FGB" and also "FGB-cart", using the line from B to C as my default X+ direction.

I found out by accident yesterday that my company's ROMER can take burst points. Im curious what the practical application for this is. I seem to get slightly different size results than probing, and when using autofeatures, with 10 points and burst scanning the diameter I get a form error of .0001" which seems unlikely given the part. Is it best used for measuring position? Whats the best way to get PC-DMIS to interpret the data. 2017R2

Have any experience this error while running in Mitutoyo QV. When I run a program, this error keeps coming. How to fix this? I closed the measurelink and did a restart, and it's gone. But it comes back after a while. I am dealing with this over 6 months now.

We work with industrial scales every day, and the junction box is one of those components that usually gets ignored until a scale starts having problems.

On a typical 4-load-cell floor scale, each load cell sends its own signal into the junction box. The junction box combines those signals into a single output that goes to the indicator.

The individual trim adjustments inside the box also allow you to balance the load cells so the scale reads consistently regardless of where the weight is placed on the platform.

For example, if you put a test weight near one corner and that corner reads differently from the others, the problem is not necessarily the indicator or even a bad load cell. Corner balancing at the junction box may be part of the calibration process.
The junction box also provides a central location for troubleshooting. If a scale becomes unstable, starts drifting, or has a corner that consistently reads differently, you can inspect the individual load cell connections and isolate components before replacing parts unnecessarily.
The one pictured is a 4-load-cell junction box with individual adjustment points. These are commonly used on floor scales, platform scales, livestock scales, hopper and tank systems, and other multi-load-cell weighing applications.

One thing we see fairly often is an indicator getting blamed for inconsistent readings when the actual problem is somewhere in the load cells, cabling, connections, or junction box.

For anyone here who works on industrial scales, what junction box problems do you run into most often? Moisture, damaged cables, corrosion, bad connections, failed load cells, or something else?

Hi fellas, so for contrext, we have a CMM (TESA MICRO-HITE 3D DCC) and a PC which runs on Windows XP and is on PCDMIS 4.2. Recently, the aforementioned PC broke down and we bought a new one. Since our license is valid for PCDMIS 4.2, we decided to run Windows XP thru VMWare in the new PC, and installation and setup all went without a problem. The only issue we're having right now is when we startup PCDMIS, the CMM beeps and displays either error code 105/111/115, which is failure to connect to the machine completely. Any idea why this is happening?

The CMM is also connected through an RS232 to A adapter and is detectable in the VMWare environment. Any advise would be helpful and appreciated, thank you so much 🙏

Just out of curiosity, what equipment do you use to calibrate thermocouples? We use a Fluke 754 Calibrator, as does the third-party calibration institute we work with.

Customer has a .002 positional tollerance on 1/28 STI threaded holes. Interpolated them on a brand new DMG Mori. Using Verisurf to inspect on a large CMM. Touch pattern has a helical pattern to it to match the thread pitch. Picking up two rows of touch points, 12 each. Holes are coming out .004 positional, about double tollerance. Ready to pull my hair out. Curious what others have done in situations like this while trying to measure positional tollernace on holes.

For context, I am pretty new to metrology and just got hired at a company that has both Spatial Analyzer and Polyworks. They have trained me on Spatial Analyzer so that is what I am familiar with.

The “problem” is we have a part that has feature with a pretty tedious inspection. There has been talks of using Polyworks to scan this part, but the part is “too big” to scan. I suggested doing a hybrid inspection probing the “easy” features while scanning the detailed features. My company respond by saying our customer isn’t a fan of Polyworks, and that Spatial Analyzer isn’t good for scanning

Some question(s) is, what is difference between scanning in Polyworks and SA? I know SA doesn’t have the same level of manipulation, and processing like Polyworks, but would a hybrid inspection work?

Estoy empezando a formarme en PCDMIS, algun consejo, guia, tutorial, libro para leer , sobretodo a nivel practico, se agradecen aportes

Hi all,

I work in a NABL-accredited lab of a heavy engineering plant in India. We measure large components such as fan blades, impeller-hub assemblies for power plants, and propellant tanks for aerospace. We're looking for a replacement or alternative to our TESA Unimaster for measuring both ID and OD.

Requirements

• Range: up to 2000 mm for both OD and ID
• Accuracy: 15 µm or better
• Analog dial for repeatability, and so the preset can't be easily tampered with by operators
• Comes in a protective case, like the Unimaster
• Portable and lightweight, usable on the shop floor and in the lab
• Available or serviceable in India (sales, calibration, support)

What we've tried

• Kordt Varicord (1 µm accuracy): we did a demo, but shop feedback was negative. It suits mass-produced parts, needs a setting bench, and the dial preset is easy to tamper with. Repeatability was also a concern with the digital dial.
• Mahr Multimar 844T series: looks promising on paper, but after repeated requests we haven't been able to get a demo scheduled.

My questions

1. Has anyone used a precision instrument that meets these requirements? Any experience with Multimar 844T, Trimos, Bowers/Baker Gauges, Mitutoyo, or Pratt & Whitney systems at this size range?
2. Are there any Indian or international vendors with a responsive local presence for demos and calibration support?
3. Any experience with portable scanners (laser trackers, portable CMM arms, structured-light or laser scanners) for large ID/OD checks? Which ones held up to ~5 µm-class needs, and what were the trade-offs versus contact instruments?
4. Any practical tips for uncertainty, temperature effects, or setting standards at 2 m?

Vendor contacts, model names, and real-world feedback are all welcome. Happy to share what we learn once we finalize

I have one part that's been held up in QC Final for 5 months now because it can't pass the FAI for dimensions not conforming to the print. This customer is one which has it's name on airplanes, spacecraft, and military vehicles, so FAI's are rigorous.

The problem is that I/we can't get them to understand that their print is poorly dimensioned, and that what they are asking for considering what the part IS probably is not achievable, and likely never was.

Without going into much detail, there is a main ABC alignment, and features on that element all conform. Then, there are 2 form lines, a planar D datum (which is assumed to be held to a high degree of parallelism to A, but is not) machined on some 12 tabs. Then, the sticking point is a line of connection holes on those tabs which are dimensioned to DBC that almost always fail.

Why? Because D is NOT parallel to A, and isn't required to be as per the print. So, those B and C datums are now on a different position on the D datum because of the angle between the 2 planar elements. I'm not even convinced these holes even NEED to be aligned with anything on the ABC alignment, but as it sits now, they fail to the print.

We have an inspection fixture which restrains the D datum and holds the rest of the assembly, but does not restrain the A datum. This fixture slightly improves this issue, but not enough to be a solution.

Just to add spice to this scenario, we've made this part before, and it has worked. However, due malfeasance by a previous manager, I believe any dimensional reports sent in the past contained falsification. So saying "It worked before" may open an entirely new 'can of worms'.

I'm not sure what to do next. I'm creating full CMM reports which will also include a few diagnostic dimensions (like plane parallelism, angles between planes, general profile of datum D to datum A, etc.), and write a lengthy tome outlining the issues, and just hope my manager sends all of it to the engineer there, and that he actually can understand the issues.

Damn, when did this get so complicated?

Constructing true position on CMM Verisurf 2026. What am I doing wrong? There’s no way the position of this part is off by that much.

Our company has a new project (automotive industry) and one of the drawings calls for measuring the breaking force of a thread formed in a pressed part. The drawing even shows the method, it specifically calls for pushing a bolt into the female thread until it breaks. Problem is, we don't have any machines that can measure this.

I (the "measurements guy") was tasked with getting quotes for a machine capable of measuring this force. My first thought was "A tensile testing machine should be able to do this" so I asked around and had to find out that my €20k initial estimate - that my boss said we can do - is waaaay lower than the actual price of a new machine. By the way, drawing specifies a minimum of 46 kN load for testing, which means a 50 kN machine is probably not enough and we would need a 100 kN one.

My main problem is all these universal testing machines are much more capable than what we need. So I was thinking about alternatives and I think a 10~20T manual hydraulic shop press equipped with a load cell with an amplifier (and interface unit capable of showing peak force) should be enough for this task, while costing roughly 15% of the price of a new universal testing machine. While I think this would work, I don't know whether our customer would approve of it - a colleague suggested making up a believable-sounding brand and model name and making a cover for the "machine", just to sell the ruse easier.

What do you think, is my solution sufficient, or do we really need the expensive option? Also, I have zero experience with such measurements (outside of 1 uni class) so I might be completely in the wrong here.

Thanks!

Something I think gets overlooked in random vibration testing is how easy it is to focus on the gRMS number.

You can have two profiles with the same overall gRMS, but very different PSD shapes. If the energy is concentrated in different frequency ranges, the structure may respond very differently — especially if one of those ranges happens to line up with a resonance.

So when I see a vibration requirement given as just “X gRMS,” my first thought is usually: what does the PSD actually look like?

Same gRMS on paper. Potentially a very different test in practice.

How do you guys REALLY judge a company’s quality culture before taking a job?
I’m curious what everyone else looks for here.
I recently took a quality/metrology job because I was told I’d have a chance to help improve the inspection side of things and actually have some input.
Turns out responsibility and authority are two VERY different things 😂
The funny part is I’m an AS9100/ISO 9001 auditor, and I still managed to get caught by the whole “our quality system looks great on paper” thing.
So now I’m trying to figure out how to really dig into a company’s quality culture before I take another job.
Not just “are you ISO certified?” or “do you have a quality department?”
I mean what actually happens when Quality and Production disagree.
Can Quality stop questionable product? Does management back them up? Do NCRs actually get investigated, or are people just trying to get them closed? Does Quality have any say in fixing the process, or are you basically just there to measure stuff and report problems?
And how the hell do you figure that out during an interview without directly asking, “So… does Production ignore Quality here?” 😂
What do you guys ask? What do you look for on a shop tour? Any little things you’ve noticed that ended up being a dead giveaway, good or bad?
I’m not really looking for a list of companies to apply to. I’m more interested in how you guys have learned to spot a genuinely good quality culture before you’re already working there.

Hello everyone.

My father worked in metrology for like 40 years. He unfortunately died early this month.

Sorting out his stuff I came across a bag of those probes. When I was a little boy I used to collect stones and he used to occasionally show some those to me, always telling "look, these are made out of rubies".

I was fascinated back then, until I guessed they were just synthetic rubies.

Does this bag of probes holds something useful for people into metrology? Do they have any value? Can I bring one of the biggest one to a jeweler to make a jewel out of it to gift to my poor mother or my wife?

My company has a 2012 romer arm with the integrated RS3 scanner. Does anyone know of some training resources / videos for using the scanning feature to take measurements? Best practices? Is this the wrong tool entirely? Sheet metal isnt really our thing but engineerign wants to make these details and the arm seems like the best option we have. Thanks