Laser Tracking Equipment

Does your line of business frequently involve performing dimensional inspections? This could be on car wheels during vehicle manufacturing, or you might be in a garage that uses such equipment to realign misaligned wheels. Or perhaps your business works on large machinery or other equipment. Whatever the case, you’ll want to invest in laser tracking equipment to make the whole job easier.

At ETG, we’re one of the top manufacturing companies, specialising in producing engineering solutions to suit all business requirements. Among other things, we produce bespoke laser tracking machines tailored to every scenario. We produce these machines alongside other inspection and automation technologies.

Ours is a lean process that offsets activities, processes, and materials that add zero value to the product. This, in turn, saves you money while ensuring speed, quality, and accuracy. And with future-proofed laser tracking equipment, you can be confident of many years of reliable use. To get started, call us on +44 2476 428 500.

What Is Laser Tracking Equipment?

Laser tracking machines are often referred to as portable coordinate measuring machines. A laser tracker is a piece of technology built with one purpose – dimensional inspection. This can be of large equipment, such as huge assemblies or individual pieces of equipment. Laser trackers are often used to check the alignment of wheels, too, during the vehicle manufacturing process.

Taking such precise measurements of large equipment or even checking wheel alignment can be a tedious undertaking. And it can be very easy for human error to slip in, leading to issues developing. Laser tracking equipment eliminates this problem, taking pinpoint measurements that are easily repeatable of machinery or wheel alignment. As a result, even the most minor misalignment can be spotted and remedied quickly.

Laser trackers can be implemented indoors and outdoors and work so that no dismantling is necessary. This makes laser trackers an excellent time-saving tool.

Typically, laser tracking equipment can be used in conjunction with computer software to provide incredibly fast and accurate feedback in real-time. That’s why such devices are favoured in manufacturing environments, such as car manufacturers for checking components like wheels.

In fact, there is a wide range of common applications for laser tracking equipment, besides just checking wheels, including:

Machining
Design
Assembly
Inspection
Installation
Maintenance
Repair
Manufacturing

They can be used to check a whole array of things, from wheels to turbines, compressors, CNC machines, pumps, etc. Such things are usually found in engineering setups and must be correctly calibrated to mitigate safety risks and downtime while maintaining operational efficiency.

Furthermore, laser tracking equipment is also ideally suited to machining (as mentioned above), providing real-time feedback on critical geometry controls. Laser tracking equipment easily surpasses all other methods for precision, regardless of the circumstances, able to comfortably handle cylindricity, circularity, parallelism, and planarity.

But how does laser tracking equipment work? First, they take precise large-volume measurements of parts, tooling, and assemblies. They have a large working radial volume and support accuracies up to 0.001in. They measure two angles and a distance, and they do this by targeting a retro-reflective target with a laser.

This target is held in place against whatever is being measured, and as the laser is fired, the light reflects back, with the path of the laser being retraced. A portion of this returned light re-enters the measurement tracker at the precise position it left, and as it re-enters, some of it enters something called a distance meter.

The distance meter is responsible for measuring the distance from the Spherically Mounted Retroreflector (SMR) to the tracker, and one of the two types of distance meters may exist – interferometer and ADM or absolute distance meter.

ADM measures the distance to the target automatically and offers the user the benefit of a much simpler ‘point and shoot’ system. The process works regardless of whether the beam to the target has been broken and involves infrared light from a semiconductor laser reflecting off the SMR and re-entering the tracker. At this point, the onboard circuitry analyses the signal that determines the time of flight.

Once this has been determined, whatever value has been generated is multiplied by the speed of light in air, calculating the distance from the tracker to the SMR.

Conversely, with distance measurement, this can be either absolute or incremental. An incremental measurement is produced when an interferometer and a frequency-stabilised helium-neon laser are used. An incremental movement moves a distance based on your current position. With an absolute measurement, it moves to a coordinate based on your zero point.

Distance measurement was once considered the go-to standard, though ADM is rapidly catching up.

Here at ETG, we can manufacture laser tracking machines that perform both functions. We welcome a discussion to learn more about your requirements.

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Benefits of Laser Tracking

If you’re considering investing in laser tracking equipment, whether to check wheel alignments, inspect large machine assemblies, repair work, etc., we’ve got you covered. If you’re still on the fence, however, you may wish to consider the advantages of investing in laser trackers. Benefits include:

Versatile Mount
Small, Lightweight Design
Easy to Use
Continuous Point Measurement
Super-Fast Single Point Measuring
Highest Precision and Accuracy

First, it’s worth noting that laser tracking equipment is usually very light and portable, making it easy to transport out into the field. Second, with the right mount, a laser tracker can be easily positioned sideways, upside down, or directly on the part being measured, making any job that much easier.

Laser tracking equipment is also very simple to use, requiring only a single operator, if necessary, though a two-man crew is recommended for better time management. Laser trackers can measure points continuously through continuous point measurement, which enables complete tracking of critical areas, including shrinkage, moving machinery, and thermal growth. No human interaction is needed.

Another benefit of laser tracking equipment is that it can be used to record 3-axis measurements in a fraction of a second. This is made possible courtesy of super-fast single-point measuring. You can also add extra accessories to facilitate the quick collection of data points in mass.

Lastly, no other traditional technique outside of laboratory environments is as accurate as laser tracking equipment. Laser trackers sport real-world tolerance of one-thousandth of an inch and are by far the most accurate option, especially when compared to optical measurements, often prone to measurement variation and human error.

So, whether you’re fixing or installing wheels on a new car or doing an installation job, laser trackers make the process easier.

Bespoke Laser Tracking Solutions

Here at ETG, we specialise in creating bespoke laser tracking system for clients, regardless of their industry. So, for instance, if you run a garage, you’ll routinely use laser tracking equipment to inspect wheel alignment. Or you might run a business that manufacturers vehicles, so laser trackers would be used to inspect wheels and other parts of the vehicle to ensure that everything is built to specification.

Whatever the case, we supply bespoke, high-spec inspection and testing technologies, so if you’re in the market, you need only call. We design, manufacture, and deploy market-leading advanced manufacturing technologies globally for clients of all sizes. So, wherever in the world that you’re based, you can trust us to get you set up with cutting-edge automation and inspection technologies tailored to your business’s needs.

We actively strive to supply industries with truly innovative solutions, and thanks to our process-oriented approach, your business’s needs will always be accounted for.

Irrespective of your setup, the Expert Technologies Group team will always go the extra mile to deliver laser tracking equipment tailored to your setup. From inspecting wheels and wheel arches to assembling large machinery or installing critical components, your laser trackers will be customised to fit whatever role you need them to. Our team will consult with you from the outset; you need only call.

We’ll take on board your ideas and provide suggestions and advice to help steer you in the right direction. Our team works closely with the client from the get-go, providing a point of contact who’ll liaise with you, providing updates, and relaying your instructions to the manufacturing team.

And remember that all our solutions, including our laser tracking equipment, are built with the future in mind. That means that as your setup grows, the trackers we provide you with will more than be able to keep pace.

Other Services We Offer

In addition to laser tracking equipment for inspecting wheels, machinery, and more, we also design, manufacture, an deploy other solutions, technologies:

Aerospace Flow Lines
Engine Assembly
Special Purpose Machinery
Robotics
Modular Manufacturing, Handling, Joining, and Assembly

Why Choose Us for Laser Tracking Equipment?

Expert Technologies Group has been designing, fabricating, and deploying automation and inspection technologies for more than half a century. In that time, we’ve continued to innovate, pushing the envelope on what is possible, and delivering solutions that enhance our clients’ operations.

Maybe you’re looking to upgrade your wheel inspection approach or replace ageing laser trackers you already possess. Then, you’ve come to the right place as we’re the leading manufacturer of industrial automation systems, assembly tooling, automated assembly, special-purpose machinery, and single and multi-robotic cells.

We’re highly respected and are considered the go-to engineering supplier by countless businesses throughout countless industries. And we’re accredited with organisations like CHAS, so you can trust our capabilities and service.

Contact Us Today

So, if you’re looking for a company that designs and develops the best laser tracking equipment, look no further than Expert Technologies Group. Laser tracking machines are an essential component for the inspection of wheels, specifically wheel alignment. While other methods can be utilised for checking wheels during the production process, none can achieve the same degree of accuracy.

At ETG, we also understand the importance of performing dimensional inspections on large equipment. Such requirements also necessitate the use of laser tracking equipment, which we’re delighted to design and deliver. We’ll design and implement a tracking process that’s bespoke and tailored to your business’s specific setup.

All you need to do is contact our team to begin the discussion that’ll take things in the right direction. To speak directly with a member of our team, call ETG on +44 2476 428 500. You can also get in touch by completing our online contact form or emailing sales@exta.co.uk.

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