‘We decided to stay with portable arm technology and this time chose LK, as we were keen to take advantage of the after-sales service for which they are known’ – Greg Simmonds, Joint Owner and Director, GT Tooling
Founded in 2011, toolmaking and subcontract machining company GT Tooling (www.gttoolingltd.co.uk) spent one year using conventional manual metrology equipment to measure the components it was milling and turning before investing in a 3D articulating arm, a 6-axis model with a reach of 1.2 metres. Three years later when the company moved from Petersfield to a bigger factory unit in Fareham, the company invested in a machining centre with 1,651 x 762 x 762 mm travels, which meant that larger prismatic parts being produced had to be inspected in two operations. Although satisfactory, the procedure was time-consuming and risked the introduction of errors due to the necessity for arm relocation. So in May 2022, a FREEDOM Classis Scan portable arm with a reach of two metres was purchased from LK Metrology, Castle Donington (www.LKmetrology.com). GT Tooling was introduced to this UK coordinate measuring machine (CMM) manufacturer by nearby Mech Metrology & Power Tools, which calibrates the toolmaker’s inspection equipment and supplies it with conventional metrology tools such as verniers and micrometers.
Greg Simmonds, joint owner and director of GT
Tooling commented, “We considered manually-operated and CNC CMMs. However, the repeatability of measurement on the former was not good enough while the latter did not offer sufficient flexibility of use. Neither type had the reporting capability that was up to our standards or those of our customers. We also felt that programmable CMMs were better suited to series production, whereas we machine mainly one-offs and small batches.
