TPT March 2012

T echnology N ews

ITP improves tube inspection PFW Nuneaton has installed four ITP tube inspection systems at its site to cope with the stringent inspection requirements of its customer – a UK aero engines company.

On its latest contracts the customer only supplied the 3D CAD model of the tube assembly, but no fixtures or drawings. PFW used the ITP software to extract the tube and fitting data from the model and then export the data to the benders and the CMMs with no keyboard data entry required. The ITP systems are then used at all stages of production for initial tube inspection, fitting orientation and final inspection. The customer praised PFW’s achievements, stating that the integrated production system created by PFW, based on the ITP tube inspection systems, was ground- breaking, and that they had never seen the level of throughput achieved at any other company. PFW says that this increase in capability has seen its tube assembly production quadruple compared to its competitors. PFW production engineer Adam Treadwell said that the company could never have fulfilled the current contract without the ITP systems, which have allowed CAD data extraction, tube and fitting inspection and geometric measurement such as True Position, all on the same integrated system. PFW has found that the ITP inspection

Sample inspection report

systems’ accuracy, flexibility and ease of use have outperformed other tube inspection systems within the group. ITP Group – UK Fax: +44 1788 567 991 Email: software@itpgroup.co.uk Website: www.itpgroup.co.uk

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M arch 2012