Measures that Matter

In order to streamline its decade-old manufacturing process, Perfect INC. resorted to FARO's ScanArm, a seven-axis measurement solution that offers maximum data handling, highest accuracy, and optimum efficiency for users.

One of the largest industries globally, the construction sector provides employment to millions of people and continues to be a key driver for many world economies today. For India, the construction industry is one of the largest contributors to its economy. With the rapid infrastructure development projects commissioned by the Government of India, the construction equipment sector is expected to generate revenues of up to $5 billion by 2020. As a result, demand for construction equipment in India is expected to continue rising in the next
few years.

Quality crucial in construction

The importance of high-quality construction tooling and materials cannot be overlooked as it helps avoid complications like the corrosion of embedded steel reinforcements and poor resistance to natural elements including fire, wind, and flood. Perfect INC. has always believed that quality matters in construction tooling and, hence, has a strong focus on developing one of the highest calibre.  “The foundations of a building cannot be compromised, and construction components provide critical support. Our manufactured components undergo rigorous testing and inspection to ensure that each tool is of the highest quality, before they are delivered to our customers,” commented Amitoj Singh, Head of Marketing, Perfect INC.

Knowing Perfect INC.

The company specializes in manufacturing high-quality construction equipment such as scaffolding, pillars, and structures through methods such as stamping, forging, machining and tooling.

Since its establishment in 2005, it has meticulously monitored its measurement, calibration, and inspection processes. Each construction component is carefully measured by employees before production and after final-inspection stages using vernier caliper, height gauges, and fixed coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). In its production facility, the company manufactures equipment of varying sizes – small tools of 100 mm and larger pieces of up to
3 m – with a maximum weight of 15 kg. These tools are then combined to create different construction assemblies.

Besides exporting its construction equipment to customers in Canada, Europe, Germany, and the USA, the manufacturer also supplies its components to multinational companies with subsidiaries in India. It is also the parent company to Perfect Group and Perfect Forgings, and the three corporations are located in Ludhiana, India.

A decade since its inception, the team at Perfect INC. continues to rely heavily on hand tools for measurement. “Our employees are accustomed to using traditional tools and do not experience major issues,” Singh shared. “However, we wanted to improve and accelerate the calibration and inspection process of our construction components. This drive for perfection was the push factor that encouraged us to source for advanced measurement solutions.”

  An employee demonstrates how a FARO ScanArm can be used.

Implementing portable 3D CMM

The team needed measuring equipment complete with an accuracy of 0.5 mm to 1 mm, to provide support throughout its calibration, inspection, installation, and dimensional calculation stages. After comparing the technical capabilities of different portable 3D CMMs, Perfect INC. identified FARO as its preferred choice, as its solutions fit the former’s needs for calibration.

The ScanArm is a seven-axis measurement solution that offers maximum data handling, highest accuracy, and optimum efficiency for users. Adding unparalleled non-contact measurement capabilities to the FaroArm, the ScanArm is able to scan even the most complex shape, and is ideal for measuring the different sizes of Perfect INC.’s construction equipment.

Streamlining for perfection

Since acquiring the ScanArm, Perfect INC. regularly utilizes the device to calibrate and inspect the construction equipment and tools that are manufactured in-house. The ScanArm is now a key component of an important monitoring system and is used weekly to detect errors before and after the production stage. With the ScanArm stationed on the shop floor, the team also achieved unprecedented savings in time and labor, as components do not have to be physically moved to a separate measurement room with controlled temperatures for taking accurate measurements.   The company can now generate calibration data reports easily, without the hassle of filing manual reports. The ScanArm also delivers reliable, repeatable, and reproducible measurement data with every scan. Before the FARO ScanArm, Perfect INC. had trouble obtaining data with similar reliability and consistency using other metrology solutions.

As an added bonus, the ScanArm is used to calibrate the company's 1D machine, a four-meter long vernier caliper. Since the team continues to rely on the conventional method to inspect smaller components, the ScanArm has also indirectly provided the manufacturer with better results on that front.

Prof Dr Man Soo Joun

Professor, Gyeongsang National University

CEO, President, Metal Forming Research Corporation

• msjoun@afdex.com

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