KEYENCE Portable CMM Provides Machine Shop With Rapid Inspection Resource

Brian Wadey, President of Prototype Design Labs, established the company in 2017, following a career as a Senior Prototype Design Engineer and CNC programmer in sectors such as medical, aerospace and education.

Niche opportunity

“I formed Prototype Design Labs to serve a growing research community in the Seattle area, which often struggles to find machine shops that can meet their demanding requirements,” explains Wadey. “Initially, many of the parts we manufactured were for biology and cell research systems. Since then, however, we’ve added Xometry work into our mix.”

Xometry is a major, US-based marketplace for on-demand industrial prototypes and production parts. Among the keys to being successful, being a Xometry supplier means moving from design to finished component as quickly as possible. Suppliers such as Prototype Design Labs visit a ‘job board’, where Xometry’s algorithm posts jobs based on which partners have the right equipment and experience to complete the work successfully in the required lead time. Partners receive notifications that a new job is available and the first to accept gets the work.

“The main issue I had to address before working with companies such as Xometry was the need for a high-level inspection resource,” says Wadey. “I’m familiar with conventional CMMs, but I was attracted to the simplicity, ease-of-operation, compact footprint and price of the XM portable benchtop CMM from KEYENCE. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was exactly what I needed.”

Simplicity and speed

With no CNC programming and no moving parts, the KEYENCE XM Series is suitable for use by anyone, anywhere in the facility including the shop floor. The XM Series provides the ease of calipers, but the capabilities of a CMM. The XM features a handheld, free-angle probe, to allow measurement from any position. It also boasts on-screen tutorials, temperature compensation, and 3D CAD comparison and export functions. Optical technology enables freedom of approach with touch-to-measure operability. The XM utilizes augmented reality to overlay the 3D image on the probe-mounted camera image, simultaneously displaying measurement information on a live image of the part. This feature allows users without any previous CMM experience to intuitively understand the measurement process.
Following machining operations, Prototype Design Labs uses its KEYENCE XM Series to take critical measurements and determine if adjustments may be required on the company’s CNC machines. This capability adds significant value, as it allows the business to finish parts faster and achieve quicker turnaround times. In turn, Wadey can take on more work and utilize his production equipment more efficiently.

“The XM provides many options to aid manufacturing and inspection,” he states. “It’s a great entry-level choice that is very easy to operate and has self-guidance as you go. In addition, we can create repeatable CMM programs for batch production runs and generate reports with augmented pictures showing how the inspection was done. We can also share CMM programs with other KEYENCE XM users.”