Keyence Delivers New Image Dimension Measurement System

Keyence has extended its portfolio of precision measurement technologies with the LM Series, a new, high-accuracy image dimension measurement system.

Keyence is a supplier of sensors, measuring systems, laser markers, microscopes, and machine vision systems worldwide for factory automation. The company is headquartered in Osaka, Japan and is among the top five companies in Japan based on market capitalisation as of March 2020 where it records sales of over €4 billion annually.

Boasting accuracy to ±0.7μm, the LM Series offers consistent sub-micron accuracy and repeatability through automated focusing and part positioning, making it useful for applications with tight tolerances in sectors from medical and electronics to high-precision metal manufacturing.

Ailsa Morrison, Applications Engineer for the Metrology Division at Keyence, explained: “Ever tighter tolerances are a defining characteristic of modern manufacturing and through the LM Series, Keyence is offering a rapid and reliable means to verify part dimensions to ever greater levels of accuracy. Alongside that, it really is a system that anyone, anywhere, can use – thanks to a range of automated and intuitive functions”.

As with other Keyence systems, the LM Series can be programmed with on-screen help available, and it can be operated with just one button. Items do not need to be precisely positioned, whilst rapid stage movement and a large field of view for a precision measurement system deliver optimum speed as fewer images are needed compared with alternative systems. The auto-focus function ensures accurate focus irrespective of operator experience.

Up to 300 dimensions can be measured at a time, whilst the LM Series can measure up to 100 individual parts simultaneously. An integral coaxial light offers a variety of lighting options to provide optimised stable edge detection, whatever the material of the item being measured. While more typically used in laboratory environments, the system is robust to withstand the rigours of the shop floor environment with its low-vibration stage.

An integral high-magnification lens with Z-focus positioning allows for non-contact height and depth measurement for areas as small as 20 × 20 μm. Additionally, plane elements can be created which are independent of the stage and overall part slope, with flatness and interplane angle measurements, added to programs. Suitable applications range from prototype and first-off part inspection to in-process sample and part inspection; and pre-shipping and incoming goods inspections.

You can find more information about Keyence and its new image dimension measurement system on its website.

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