Jeff Pelton’s Story
Our Setup
We’re a Tier 2 supplier to the automotive industry: we make components that go into assemblies that go into vehicles. We’ve got a bunch of mills, a bunch of lathes, a bunch of assorted benders, presses, and specialized assembly machines, and work with lots of aluminum and steel. Most of our products are small and, occasionally, intricate.
My direct supervisor and I had been moved into our current roles one week before all this started. He was involved to varying degrees throughout the process, but always reviewed and improved my output, so sometimes I’ll refer to me doing something, and other times it was “us” doing something else.
We had a 15-year-old CMM, a good one (for its time) which was purchased new from International Metrology Systems (IMS) of Scotland. The machine was obsolescent, and ran using an old PC with ISA slots on its motherboard in which to mount the Renishaw probe controller cards. Replacement parts were generally not available, and the controller card backplanes were starting to delaminate. The CMM was calibrated recently and was still in working order, but was starting to require frequent rebooting, and seemed to throw out random non-fatal error announcements at the most inconvenient times. The controlling software was Virtual DMIS, version “old.” Like most DMIS-based software, it had a steep learning curve and was not very user-friendly.
At the beginning of December, we experienced a recurring error that prevented the CMM from running. After a day of down-time, I was allowed to investigate the problem and found damaged wiring harness connectors and an intermittent opening in one of the cables. I fixed that problem, and we brought in OmniTech (out of Flint, Michigan) to correct the signal error problems that were still occurring.
Our company president asked me to provide some more comprehensive repair and retrofit options, so I went first to Innovative Measurement Solutions in Texas. Innovative had been providing some service and the calibrations on our CMM; they were the people we knew, and so I asked for quotes on repair and retrofit options.
Our requests for quotes were tagged Option A (repair) and Option B (retrofit/upgrade). To simply keep our machine running was going to cost somewhere around $15,000. Option B, upgrading the probe head, its controllers, and the software (and a new PC to run it) was estimated at $45,000. To put those two numbers in perspective, a new CMM in the same size range comes in at about $90,000, base. For half the price of a new CMM, we might retrofit our old one and get another five years’ service out of it.
Which led, that Monday morning, to being asked to research Option C: get some quotes on new machines. By the end of the week.
I’d only been put into the Gage Control, Calibration, and Systems Programming job two weeks before. I’d helped out with some of that work, and had some training on VDMIS and using the CMM, but didn’t know who to call, or what to ask. Time to study.
A quick web search turned up the expected big names: Mitutoyo, Hexagon Metrology, Zeiss, Nikon, and Coord3.
I ruled out Zeiss automatically, having heard some support horror stories about them. They are (relatively) expensive machines, and if you need some work done, expect to import an engineer from Switzerland. (I eagerly await your letters of protest and disputation, Zeiss.) I also did not contact Mitutoyo because of a difference of opinion I hold concerning their various metrology systems’ software. (They think it works, I don’t.)
I filled out the web query forms for Hexagon Metrology, Nikon, and Coord3, and engaged in a live chat with some guy at Coord3, using the little app in their web site. Turns out I was chatting with Elliott Mills, the US General Manager… and he is a neat guy.
What we were looking for was
a slightly taller frame, 7x10x6 or 7
a Renishaw PH20 probe head
really slick software
We quickly received quotes from Hexagon and Coord3, but nothing from Nikon. Fortunately, one of our QC inspectors knows a guy that knows a guy, and contacted Gary Rockwell at Nikon. I got to talk to Gary on Thursday, and we had an Option C quote from them on Friday.
With the addition of a refurbisher’s information and listings from a website one of our managers found for me (“Heard you’re shopping for a new CMM… ran across this.”) I had five quotes and no more time. Comparison ensued, with my top choices being Nikon, Coord3, and Hexagon. My company president authorized travel to their sites for demonstrations, and in early January I traveled North to see the Nikon and Coord3 machines. I also scheduled a visit to Hexagon, in Dayton, Ohio.
Points of Comparison
The prices, with one notable exception (Hex…), all ranged from the high seventies to the low one hundreds, after I figured out what optional necessities were or weren’t included. So, how to decide?
First, are we getting what we asked for? I specified the Renishaw PH20 probe head for a lot of very good reasons, and there’s plenty of video on Youtube that explains why.
First disqualification went to Hex, because they sell their TESA Star probe head, similar in function to the Renishaw PH10. Not what I asked for.
Second disqualification went to Coord3 for software. I hadn’t specified the software because I wasn’t sure what was available, until Nikon demonstrated their CMM Manager software. Developed at Ohio State University, CMM Manager is a great approach to programming the CMM, and has been proven to reduce that time by about 60-70%. The Hex (PC-DMIS) and Coord3 (TouchDMIS) inspection programs are DMIS-based, which means there’s a steep learning curve to getting functionally literate with them. With hundreds of icons and even more drop-down lists, sub-menus, and dialog boxes, programming devolves to the level of, “I know it can do this, but I can’t find the icon/sub-menu/dialog box that I need.”
Because Nikon was in the upper-middle price bracket, can be configured with the PH20, and ships with CMM Manager, I figured I was done.
My recommendation of the Nikon CMM was accepted, and negotiations with them had just begun when our old IMS CMM began to generate errors with increasing frequency. We realized we might not have time to get a new machine purchased, so I contacted OmniTech, again, about quoting us a retrofit price. They’d provided some recent service on our CMM and were aware of what might be involved. I’d had discussions with their tech when he was at our plant, and then, later, over the phone, about the advantages of running “plain vanilla” Renishaw equipment on any given frame, and was already sold on the Cost of Ownership model that results from that.
The same week, I got a text from Gary Rockwell simply stating that he was no longer with Nikon. He was letting me know that he was handing off our budding account so that we could continue with our purchasing plans. I didn’t leave it there–I am indebted to Gary for his hospitality and assistance when he was with Nikon–so I asked what he was up to now. He answered that he was with “Advanced” in Dayton, and left it at that. I didn’t leave that statement alone, either. I googled Advanced in Dayton and found Advanced Industrial Measurement Systems, a company that manufactures CMMs, but also has a healthy business retrofitting them. Gary was being ethical about not messing up his former employer’s sale, but I needed another retrofit option, and I immediately asked for a retrofit quote.
The retrofit quotes from OmniTech and Advanced came in, and while OmniTech estimated that $43K might be sufficient, certain unknowns would probably drive the price up once they actually started the work. Advanced quoted us $53K for the retrofit, but then noted that they could offer us a 1-year-old, previously-leased CMM for $50K, fully certified and warrantied.
That same week, another one of our managers wanted to know why we hadn’t looked at Mitutoyo in the first round of selection. I was instructed to set up a visit for their demo, and arranged to visit Advanced the same day.
I will admit that Mitutoyo’s MCosmos controlling software is pretty slick. The software issue was moot, though, since they were insisting on selling me a CMM with the PH10 head, after I repeatedly informed them that we required a PH20 head for our applications. Mitutoyo–a company with which we’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on test equipment of all levels–took themselves out of the running by simply not providing us with what we specified.
Software Marketing Games
support, maintenance, and upgrade fees
hidden upgrade fees
hidden functionality fees
buying all the modules you’ll need
The four bullets, above, boil down to requiring a very close look at the exact functionality of the software that’s included in the CMM quote. Every OEM promises that even if you’re not paying the annual software maintenance fee, they’ll answer the phone and answer your questions. There is some sniping about just how quickly that might happen if you’re not current on your subscription. The other aspect is that the software package in the quote might be “module 1,” or “base,” and that things like importing a CAD file requires an upgrade to module 2. Oh, and if you want the software to work with that type of CAD file, that’s another module/license/upgrade. Make sure you’re getting sufficient functionality in the level of software that’s listed in the quote.
Our Software Decision
I’d already heard from OmniTech that using all Renishaw hardware for a retrofit was the best approach. The probe head and sensors on any of these systems (except Hex and Zeiss) are Renishaw, but the companies all use proprietary controllers. A profit margin and exclusivity can be built in, that way. The profit margin runs like this: it costs about $1600-$1700 to manufacture a probe head controller (not looking at R&D costs, here, just parts and labor), and the controller is then sold for about $20,000. If the controller is an OEM design, they can lock out unauthorized access in the event of repair or calibration. There are very few independent CMM calibration services available, although most full-service calibration companies can offer “verification” of a CMM’s accuracy. What they can’t do is calibrate the CMM in the event that it’s out of tolerance, because only the OEM’s technicians can access that function. You, the customer are in a long term relationship with your CMM’s manufacturer whether you like it or not. Most CMM companies rely on this when structuring their pricing.
Renishaw has a near monopoly on probe heads, sensors, and controllers for same. It’s not really a bad thing, because everybody uses their equipment. Which means that if you go with all Renishaw hardware on top of any given frame, anybody can work on it. You’re not locked in to a single provider for service and calibration, and you can shop for a better price or better service or both. Spare parts and replacement parts are less of a consideration, as well, no need to wait for a shipment from Switzerland.
If you contact Renishaw about buying or retrofitting a CMM, they’ll put you in touch with Advanced. Advanced builds their own brand using a polymer-cast base and all Renishaw hardware. Their standard software offering is Renishaw’s MODUS program, which, since it comes from Renishaw, will run everything Renishaw makes. Some functions that cost extra in other software packages are included in the standard MODUS package, although licensing arrangements may require additional fees to use some CAD files (e.g., Catia). (That’s one of the other software pitfalls. The standard package of PC-DMIS and MCosmos is sort of entry level, and for every additional bit of functionality you need, you will pay.)
If the Advanced website had not had a section devoted to retrofit options, I would not have pursued business with them. The obvious relationship with and backing by Renishaw also made the business decision easier. I sometimes wonder if providing links, or at least listings, of competitors would help or hinder the cause. When I started the acquisition project, I knew nothing but what Google showed me, but have since learned of other companies for new CMMs, retrofits, and refurbished machines, as well as the various suppliers of fixturing, software, and service. The attitude, “Here’s other people in the business. We want you to get what you want, after you make sure it’s what you need. Do some homework.” would’ve helped me out, but that’s probably a beer discussion.
Conclusion
Advanced offered us a very good package deal for two CMMs–the used one, which was the same size as what we had, and a taller one, which is what we would still like to get. The deal eventually came down to us contracting to purchase the used one. We still have plans to purchase a second CMM within the next year, and will probably not have to shop around as much, just enough for due diligence.
Mike West, AIMS’ service manager, showed up with the CMM as scheduled, and set it up with the help of a rigging company out of Columbus. Jayson, a field service technician, arrived the next week to assemble and calibrate it. The following week, Chris Shorts and I were trained by one of AIMS’ applications engineers, Steve Bradley, who was exactly the trainer we needed. The CMM is up and generating inspection data which is now saving us money in other areas.
–Jeff Pelton
Ohio Metal Technologies
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