It's all fun and games....

Precision measurement probably seems like a very technical discipline. And it is. When you're working with numbers down to the .0002", accuracy is crucial, and you need tools far beyond just "eyeballing it." Math, computer science…you draw on these daily. But measurement isn't something just relegated to a far-off world of formulas and programs, either. It touches everything, from little gears you've never heard of to things you enjoy on a regular basis.

Like on this day.

Popular experience arcade Dave & Buster's came to us with this bowling ball for one of their latest games. With touch probe scanning, we were able to measure the spherical curve of the bowling ball and confirm its readiness in the hands of virtual bowling champions nationwide.

And it might just give us an idea for our next company outing, too.

Why is precision so important?

"Take from all things their number and all shall perish." St. Isidore of Seville

Pretty stark words…but think about it. Wouldn't you feel a little uncomfortable learning that the brake gears in your car fit together "okay"….but not particularly well? Or one of the jet engine components in the plane you're taking to your sister's wedding wiggles around a bit at high altitudes? Or the holes in your plastic toothbrush from the dentist are a little too big….and you have fibers stuck between your teeth on company picture day?

Okay, that last example wasn't exactly life-threatening. But think about everything—and we mean everything—you use on a daily basis. We've measured toothpaste caps. Chapstick. Martini glasses. Car floor mats. Slushee machines. Brake gears. The list goes on. Everything is measurable. Everything needs to be measurable.

That's why precision is so important to us here at M2M. Lack of precision on a tube of chapstick means a messy purse. Lack of precision on a brake gear means a fatal accident. That's why we so strongly believe in what we do here. We believe in the importance of quality.

"We measure what you make...so you can make it better."

Wow!

 

More hurricane proofing for New Orleans, with the receptacle part for the giant ball in our last entry.

This is part of the Hurricane Surge gate system for the city.

 

There are 2 parts to this bearing with pucks milled into the sphere. Made To Measure measured these parts while the Army Engineers source inspected, well actually they witnessed, the measuring while Josh was crawling inside the part. Some of our unique capabilities is to have customers and third party inspection in-house.

Check this out....world's largest calibration ball

Well....not really.

Its 10,000 pounds and it's a Pintle in a hinge for the hurricane water surge protection for New Orleans, LA Hurricane Protection Project. Read on.... http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/pd/projectsList/home.asp?projectID=115 

The Army Corps wanted to make sure everything checks out before it's assembled. More parts coming up on this project. Stay tuned.

Wow; it's another big cmm gantry measuring project for M2M!

Measuring ceiling tiles? You have got to be kidding!

The weirdness keeps coming; measuring ceiling tiles for size, squareness, and flatness.

Well, when you think about it, it does make sense, having long rows in the ceiling and when some are out of square or not sitting flat in the grid, it can become irritable to the eye.

M2M measured hundreds of these, producing capability study charts and producing a lot of dust and crumbs in the process of handling these things.

CMM rebuilds and retrofits

Large capacity CMM for measuring large parts.

M2M has been rebuilding completely with retrofits. We have found that taking old measuring machines that were the leaders at the time of their day to be the best choices. The price point is much lower than the newer machine rebuilds and retrofit.

Rebuilding completely with new wires, bearings, and hoses is mostly what is required. Couple the rebuild with a new controller and computer and new software is all that is left.

This Ferranti pictured is a great example. Retro 1985, this one has been in full daily use for 4 years after being completely rebuilt by M2M.

Shore A hardness rubber test

Here is another one of M2M's ingenuities. We measured 10 specific points at the end of this bumper, combing our rubber hardness gage and using a fixture that was positionally repeatable.

The challenges were not to get too close to the metal edge that it would distort the Shore A hardness readings. Capability studies were also introduced over 80 parts.