EDITOR’S CHOICE
METROLOGY SOLUTIONS
ZYGO
Promoting Manufacturing Efficiency
through the Use of 3D Optical Metrology
Woodward Inc., with over fifty years
heritage in the aerospace industry, is a
leader in developing and delivering motion
control and integrated propulsion systems.
Much of their success can be attributed
to their unique approach to applying total
system solutions in meeting the needs of
their customers and staying at the forefront
of the industries they serve.
Critical dimensional and surface
measurement for fuel delivery component
Michael Schmidt, Market Development
Manager, Zygo Corporation
Woodward Inc. works with leading optical
metrology instrument supplier ZYGO to
“tune” their manufacturing processes by
leveraging precise 3D surface data. In
many cases, the insight gained by utilizing
3D optical metrology has improved
Woodward’s component design, quality,
and overall product performance. Through
this technology, Woodward has been
able to identify key characteristics of its
manufactured surfaces that result in a real
differentiator in the markets it serves.
We caught up with Jack Clark, who
currently leads the ‘Materials and Surface
Engineering’ group as a Senior Scientist in
the Woodward Technology Development
family. Jack’s group focuses on developing
surface finishing processes that are specific
to the role of a particular component to
ensure proper function, reliability, and
potential cost savings. Varying materials
and machining processes necessitate
confirming the inspection of production lot
samples quickly and efficiently to confirm
that manufactured parts meet or exceed
specifications. To accomplish this, the
Materials and Surface Engineering Group
relies on instrumentation and software
which meet their stringent manufacturing
demands and deliver the functional
measurands necessary to control critical
part performance.
3D OPTICAL METROLOGY
To meet Woodward’s exacting applications
and requirements Clark prefers to use 3D
optical metrology instruments. “Many of
the advantages of 3D optical metrology
start with being able to gauge the
component in all dimensions, and the entire
functional area. That is why we refer to
3D optical metrology as ‘areal.’ You are
characterizing the entire part or region
of interest (ROI), not just segments of it,
as you do with 2D (linear measurement)
lines. 3D optical metrology enables much
faster data acquisition. Data for an entire
ROI can be collected simultaneously,
instead of one data point at a time. Also,
the measurements are more repeatable
because users are including so many
more data points, allowing the local part
uncertainties to be a smaller percentage of
the overall measurement than that of 2D”,
Clark explains.
Manufacturing processes are
multidirectional. A single line profile (2D)
‘sees’ the process from only one direction
and cannot visualize the gauge-able
process variations in any other dimension.
The manufacturing process will vary in
many dimensions, and that is why it is
essential to capture all the pertinent data
through the use of 3D optical metrology.
6 PECM Issue 45