Alignment of cam shaft bearings on a large cylinder head
The probe has to pass through to get to its gauge point. This had been placing high levels of wear and tear on the probes that were originally installed in a large automotive plant and caused regular down time.
The Problem was solved using Solartron - Digital Mini Probes
Two main forces affect the life and accuracy of electronic bore gauge sensors and are encountered when:
1. The gauge is inserted into the bore. 2. The gauge is rotated in the bore.
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Very large forces can be encountered at the probe tip when the gauge is inserted into a bore. The sensors need to be small to fit into the component, but small sensors and large forces do not always go well together.
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Rotating a gauge in a bore imparts forces that attempt to twist the probe. This can cause positional errors and poor repeatability.
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(a bore with a key slot or lubrication port can be particularly difficult)
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Solartron Digital Miniature Sensors are double flexures machined from solid material. This is a very difficult process but is done to eliminate the weaknesses present in other types of small fabricated sensors.
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Two ‘leaf springs’ working in parallel ensure that the Mini probe is able to maintain positional accuracy and withstand the forces encountered when rotating a gauge.
They are also strong enough to overcome the forces encountered when inserting the gauge into a bore. The choice of the contact tip also plays a very large part in the performance of the probe and a range of user replaceable tips is available to suit various applications and materials.
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The Mini Probe’s ability to take up to 4,000 readings per second (per probe) at resolutions of <0.1µm and coupled with good repeatability, enabled a reliable and cost effective solution to a difficult problem.