Laser line scanner generates 3D profiles of complex gear teeth

Gear shafts with plug-in teeth, bevel gears and hypoid teeth and other similar axial components can warp during manufacture. Therefore, an inspection of the run-out is required. After inspection, the workpiece can be adjusted if required. In order to adjust the workpiece, the extent of the 'ovality' and the direction of adjustment need to be determined. EHR's optical measurement system was developed specifically for this purpose, enabling rapid, extremely precise automated straightening of the workpiece. The scanCONTROL 2800-25 is aligned with the component in such a way that the laser line is perpendicular to the gear teeth. When rotating the clamped component, the entire tooth area is shown digitally in 3D. This 3D point cloud is then evaluated according to customer requirements. In order to make a comparison with tactile dislocation, computer-generated digital balls are placed between the flanks of the teeth. Another benefit of using 'digital dislocation' is that the diameter of the ball can be changed quickly and easily. All ball diameters that should pass between the gear teeth can be selected using simple configuration tools. Due to this increase in the number of evaluation results, measurement accuracy of better than 5µm is achieved, which is lower than the measurement resolution of the laser scanner. The scanCONTROL 2800-25 comprises a compact sensor and an intelligent controller, which are connected by a cable. The controller outputs both the 2D profile information as well as analysed data. The integrated FireWire/Ethernet interface enables complete control for multiple scanCONTROL systems via a PC, as well as high data rates. A profile generated by the scanCONTROL 2800 consists of a maximum of 1,024 points and a calibrated measurement value each for X and Z. These points are acquired simultaneously across the entire line and made immediately available to a PC for a real time evaluation of the profile. The sensor provides a profile frequency of 4,000Hz and up to 256,000 measuring points per second. For more information on Micro-Epsilon's scanCONTROL 2800 range of laser line scanners, please call the sales department on 0151 355 6070 or email: info@micro-epsilon.co.uk