WENZEL Group GmbH & Co. KG converted an existing WENZEL LH Gantry coordinate measuring machine from a bridge configuration to a portal design as part of a retrofit for Jintongling Technology Group Co., Ltd., according to a case study published by the German metrology company. The machine, installed at Jintongling in 2015, needed an overhaul as the wind power and fluid technology components the manufacturer produces grew larger and more complex than the original system could accurately measure.
The structural conversion sat at the center of the project. WENZEL's team inspected the original system's core components and ran a performance evaluation before settling on the portal layout, which WENZEL says delivers higher measurement accuracy and stability than the original bridge design. The retrofit also expanded the machine's working envelope: X-axis travel grew from 2 meters to 2.5 meters, and height increased from 1.5 meters to 2.8 meters. An underground foundation added during the rebuild significantly increased load capacity, WENZEL says, a change the company frames as central to handling large-format parts in the wind power and fluid technology sectors.
The upgrade also added gear-inspection capability to the CMM, letting Jintongling measure large gearboxes used in wind turbines. For a CMM operator working with oversized wind and fluid-power components, folding expanded range and gear-checking into one machine removes a step that would otherwise call for a separate, dedicated gear-measurement setup.
Jintongling chose the retrofit over buying a new CMM. "We have received advanced measurement technology without having to purchase a completely new machine," Jintongling said, calling the move "an economically viable decision." WENZEL managed the project from technical consulting and planning through installation, commissioning and operator training.
The case study frames the retrofit as a foundation for continued work between the two companies on measurement technology and quality control as Jintongling scales production of wind and fluid-power components.
