feature

Measuring Left and Right

CMM Inspection vs. GMM Inspection
Mariano Marks, Product Specialist, Wenzel America

Speed and accuracy is the name

of the game in gear inspection.
It’s why a Wenzel customer recently pur-
chased a WGT280 that can inspect gears
in around eight minutes as opposed to
around 18 with the CMM they were pre-
viously using. A number of customers
are looking for similar results in 2017
regarding gear measurements.
Manufacturing is changing. Parts
are getting smaller and smaller. Non-
traditional job shops are starting to man- into the unique realm of gear metrology an example of a part that I’ve measured
ufacture and develop gears which change with Wenzel America in 2016. where it makes no sense to use a rotary
the typical customer demographics. As CMMs became more sophisticated, table. Of course, gear housings and other
There has also been an increased need gear inspection was also refined from 3D parts can be simply fixtured to the
for worm gear inspection, presumably needing three separate pieces of equip- rotary table and inspected without using
due to the addition of robotics in auto- ment to check profile, lead, and pitch, the C-axis as well, but with other metrol-
mation. to becoming full CNC inspection equip- ogy software installed on the GMM. It is
Utilizing both a coordinate measur- ment in the late 1970s. Two examples of also worth noting the minor detail that,
ing machine (CMM) and a gear measur- earlier devices used for gear inspection due to its size, a GMM is more forgiving
ing machine (GMM) gives the customer are the Fellows Microdex for profile and when loading a part.
two machines that each are good at what two dial indicators to check pitch. Furthermore, the parameters sought
they do. This is optimal rather than try- Wenzel has played a part in this devel- from typical parts measured in a CMM
ing to adapt one to do the other’s job. opment exhibiting our first gear mea- vs. those in a GMM could be best repre-
Naturally, two machines can relieve pres- suring machine in 2003 to now having sented in a Venn diagram with the most
sure if a large number of parts need to be the ability to check virtually any gear as common between both being Geometric
inspected. It all depends on the types of well as some cutting tools. Still, there are Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
parts that the customer makes and what many differences between gear inspec- parameters. Profile, lead, pitch, runout,
they might be making in the future. tion with a GMM and 3D inspection and even dimension over balls are the
While it makes sense to utilize both with a CMM. I will outline three main primary parameters that are not present
a CMM and a GMM in the typical gear differences I’ve experienced during my in regular CMM inspection.
shop, there are significant differences time using: types of parts measured, The more common GD&T parameters
that will be addressed in this article. parameters that are extracted with each, like flatness and roundness are second-
We’ll look at these differences, discuss and speed. ary in a GMM. In this regard, it can be
quality and inspection trends and report argued that GMMs are easier to program
on how gear inspection is evolving. Compare and Contrast due to the simplicity of the necessary
One of the main features that you should parameters that need to be input. This
Durability and Longevity see in all modern GMMs is the use of a is not to say that gears are not complex
Since their inception in 1956, CMMs 4th axis. This, of course, simplifies mea- geometries in the least! Nevertheless, it
have been a necessary tool in every qual- surements greatly by minimizing the is fair to say that the characteristics that
ity department. Their development has necessary measurement volume. It is both a GMM and a CMM can evaluate
been invaluable in the refinement of pre- also the best way to inspect a gear since are more common than different.
cision parts that make for long-lasting this mimics the generative motion with Finally, since a GMM’s primary func-
and more durable equipment. which gears are made. It is natural, then, tion is to check gears, it does it quite fast.
When I entered this world, I had no for a GMM to use a rotary table since The advantage in speed can be attributed
idea that it previously existed, coming almost all gear-related parts are rotation- to the 4th axis motion that practically all
face-to-face with a myriad of differ- ally symmetric. I’ve even found myself of today’s GMMs equip. Additionally,
ent components of all different shapes only locking five out of the six degrees of if a CMM is not equipped with a rotary
and sizes from all corners of the United freedom when aligning these parts due table, then a multi-probe stylus system
States. I then had the opportunity to dive to this characteristic. Racks would be would be necessary to check gear geom-

22 GEAR TECHNOLOGY | July 2017

[www.geartechnology.com]
etries. This also results in added time as the performance of the machine using downtime and interruptions in their
not just for inspection but qualification information from the controller. In this production and inspection processes.
as well. At times, these reductions in way, using information about actively
speed can amount to 50 percent. In the running programs, warnings, and status Gear Data Exchange
past, a CMM did not inspect gears using reports can be collected and analyzed, I’ve written about GDE for our Wenzel
the generative method that CNC GMMs by Wenzel as well, with the customer’s America blog (www.wenzelamerica.com/
started with. However, nowadays, consent. one-gear-rule/). It is similar in practice to
CMMs have made strides in measure- This will allow for preventive mea- Part Manufacturing Information (PMI)
ment speed due to improved mechanics sures by letting service technicians where GD&T information is built into
and integrated rotary tables. detect any possible problems with wear CAD in order to make programming
Regardless of where your quality or fatigue, for example, to critical parts easier and less error-prone. GDE is a
requirements lie, both types of machines in the machine before it happens. This universal format that describes all geo-
are trying to achieve the same goal: to means that the customer will have less metric parameters for cylindrical gears
inspect parts accurately with the greatest
precision. The way they do it is essential-
ly the same. They are just two different
flavors of the same type of tool.

Gear Inspection Then & Now

The pages of this magazine have
explored gear inspection for many, many
years, highlighting the tighter and tight-
er tolerance requirements, increased
quality demands, and the evolution of
gear standards.
Software is one area, in particular,
that continues to change the inspection
game. Inspection software is becoming
easier to use since a more intuitive and
logical programming interface is being
adapted. Also, the most up-to-date gear
standards are being implemented right
into the inspection software.
The ability to check virtually any gear-
ing component is now possible. For
example, Wenzel just made available a
new broaching module to check broach-
ing tools as well as an updated envelop-
ing worm module. We are also able to
take advantage of Gear Data Exchange.
Taking this a step farther, I would say
that the Industrial Internet of Things
(IIoT) will also reveal areas of growth
and new developments in gear inspec-
tion. Monitoring inspection equipment
is something that is underrated and
the ability to capture more information
never hurts.
There is plenty of information that an
inspection machine’s controller can pro-
vide us, and Wenzel is taking steps to
unearth this information for customers
so that they understand the health, if you
will, of their inspection equipment.
We’ve developed an Intelligent
Machine Interface (IMI) that can collect
environmental data like temperature and
humidity using integrated sensors as well

July 2017 | GEAR TECHNOLOGY 23

 feature MEASURING LEFT AND RIGHT

which can then be easily transferred The Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI, Changing Inspection Demands
between design, manufacturing, and Association of German Engineers) has Whether the customer is interested in
quality departments. standardized this format in VDI 2610. CMMs or GMMs it’s fair to say that gear
The format is based on Extensible They also regularly update the GDE for- inspection is always advancing. The
Markup Language (XML) Version 1.0 mat that the .xml files should follow in gear industry (as a whole) still suffers
which is easily able to be implement- order to create your own GDE files as when it comes to finding skilled labor.
ed to already existing database applica- you see fit to describe your gear. You can There remains a noticeable amount of
tions. The .xml files themselves are so download the latest files at www.vdi.de/ the workforce that will be retiring in
well structured and organized with ASCII xml/2610/ and you can open them in the next five years. These positions will
text that even novice users can identify a simple text editor like Notepad. The eventually need to be replaced with qual-
mistakes easily. This feature is available benefit of this type of structure is that it ified candidates that can keep up with
in most modern gear software today. It is makes for fewer errors by the operator the changing demands of our indus-
able to both import and export GDE files. streamlining programs and inspection. try. As long as apprenticeship programs
remain out there, there is no reason the
next wave of workers should miss out
on the vast amount of knowledge that
workers with decades of experience are
actively trying to pass down.
This is why various companies,
Wenzel included, participated in
Manufacturing Day (www.mfgday.com)
where local high school students were
able to experience what the world of
metrology had to offer. The students that
came to visit us were actually from a
technical school so they were familiar
with basic metrology concepts like cal-
ipers and a micron! This is an annu-
al nationwide event that benefits every
community so make sure to check out a

and Universal Gear Company

1605 Industrial Drive

Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: (530) 885-1939
Fax: (530) 885-8157

Call 530-885-1939 or visit

www.broachmasters.com

24 GEAR TECHNOLOGY | July 2017

[www.geartechnology.com]
nearby event near you. We are partici- future projects and determine what tech-
pating in this event once again this year nologies you’ll require moving forward.
(www.mfgday.com/events/2017/wenzel- (Editor’s Note: Some information
america-2) and urge our colleagues in from this article was retrieved from
the industry to do the same. the International Journal of Emerging
And while the demands of the gear Technologies and Innovative Research
industry change, so too, will the oppor- here: www.jetir.org)
tunities. Big gears will come back once For more information:
the mining and energy sectors develop Wenzel America Ltd.
more. A 2017 January/February Gear Phone: (248) 295-4300
www.wenzelamerica.com For Related Articles Search
Technology article as well as AGMA sup-
ports this increasing trend in manufac- inspection
turing investments in the United States at www.geartechnology.com
for the gear industry.
On the flip side, I also see gears
becoming smaller and more accurate as

READY
the need for light components and auto-
mation increases. This includes our cus-
tomer, Forest City Gear’s, tiny gears that
will go on the Mars 2020 rover. Finally, I
believe smaller shops will focus more on
the quality of their products since, as I
mentioned earlier, more non-traditional

TO
job shops are starting to explore gear
manufacturing.
It’s an exciting time in the gear shop
as data-driven manufacturing takes
our industry and our equipment into
the future. Here lies an opportunity to
examine your inspection needs, plan for

ROLL
EXPANDING YOUR EXPECTATIONS
McInnes Rolled Rings continues to expand not only our facility,
but also your expectations of what responsive service should be.
We’re committed to the delivery of quality products with the
fastest shipping times in the industry.

Speed. Quality.
McInnes Rolled Rings.

1.800.569.1420 • 1533 E 12TH STREET • ERIE, PA 16511

www.McInnesRolledRings.com

July 2017 | GEAR TECHNOLOGY 25