Safe cycling thanks to 3D metrology.
Van Raam, a manufacturer of special needs bicycles based in Varsseveld, the Netherlands, helps disabled people to be independent in their mobility. Their products are built-to-order according to the individual requirements of the future owner. This means lots of tailor-made parts in terms of shapes and dimensions—which is a great challenge for quality assurance. GOM’s ATOS ScanBox 6130 with the high-speed 3D scanning system ATOS 5 helps Van Raam’s engineers work more efficiently, but at the same time maintain the high standards in safety and quality.
The specialties of Van Raam are tricycles, scooter bikes, tandems, duo bikes, wheelchair bikes, transport bikes, walking aids, and low step through bikes. As each of these vehicles is manufactured individually, the number of tailor-made parts is huge. They need to be digitized in order to identify, analyze, and eliminate quality problems as fast as possible. That’s why Van Raam decided on GOM’s ATOS ScanBox, a precise and efficient measuring solution for production monitoring. The company uses it for serial quality checks of the steel production parts and for incoming goods inspection of delivered rims. Based on the full-field scan data, Van Raam is able to completely check the produced parts in order to initiate targeted corrective measures.
GOM Inspect Suite is key
Another key factor is the GOM software. Sjoerd ter Horst, Additive Manufacturing Engineer, emphasizes the importance of the software. “The software is key for us. All the scan data is put together in one digital 3D model. We can indicate checks with the surface comparison and pass this information on to the production department. This exchange is necessary because, when constructing a new bicycle, we inevitably make a frame that deviates from the theoretical CAD model. Now we base our production on actual data instead of theory. The more scan data we have, the better the results will be in the long run, and that makes for a nicer and tighter result. Ultimately, together with the production department, we achieve a higher quality of produced frames.”
Checking delivered bicycle parts
Van Raam also uses the ATOS ScanBox for quality control of rims. “The delivered rims should meet the set quality standards, such as roundness and flatness, but as we put safety first, we scan these rims in our ATOS ScanBox, too,” says Sjoerd ter Horst. “If the scan data shows that the rims do not meet our quality standards, we send them back to the suppliers. Thanks to the metrology data, we have hard evidence and can continue with products that we are absolutely sure are safe.”
Location: Varsseveld, Netherlands
GOM Systems: ATOS 5, ATOS ScanBox 6130
Sector: Transportation /medical device
Watch the video to see the ATOS ScanBox in action
