Croom Medical has installed and verified a ZEISS CONTURA 7/7/6 coordinate measuring machine, extending the inspection capability available to its engineering and quality teams as new orthopaedic programmes move through development and validation.
The investment adds ZEISS to a CMM capability that also includes Hexagon and Mitutoyo. It reflects a practical requirement of bringing new products into manufacturing: the method used to measure a component must be considered alongside the method used to make it. As geometry, tolerances and production requirements change, inspection capability needs to develop with them.
What has been installed
The CONTURA provides a measuring volume of 700 × 700 × 600 mm, with an RDS articulating probe system and VAST XXT TL3 tactile scanning. The installation includes ZEISS CALYPSO software with curve, freeform and PiWeb capability, and its measurement performance has been verified to ISO 10360.
Inspecting more than simple dimensions
Orthopaedic components can combine conventional features with complex curved surfaces. An inspection plan may therefore need to address both familiar dimensional checks and the relationship between a manufactured surface and its intended geometry.
ZEISS describes CALYPSO curve as an option for evaluating two- and three-dimensional contours. Its freeform functionality compares measured points with a CAD model to assess differences between the nominal and actual surface. These tools are relevant where a series of isolated dimensions alone would not give the engineering team the complete picture it needs.
The value lies in selecting and applying the appropriate method for the component. Probe access, fixturing, alignment, measurement strategy and reporting all need to work together. Installing the equipment provides the platform; developing the inspection programme makes that capability useful to a particular customer project.
Supporting the move into repeat production
During new product introduction, inspection results help manufacturing and quality teams understand whether the process is achieving the agreed requirements. They also provide a basis for investigating variation and deciding where further process development is needed.
For OEM customers, the investment broadens the resources available for that work at Croom Medical. Inspection can be considered as part of the manufacturing route, alongside machining, finishing and the wider testing requirements, with the evidence developed around the programme’s drawings and specifications.
The CONTURA complements Croom Medical’s broader testing and inspection capability, which includes dimensional inspection, surface assessment and mechanical testing. Each serves a different purpose in understanding the component and its manufacturing process.
Croom Medical thanks the ZEISS Quality Solutions team for their support with the installation and commissioning. Explore our testing and inspection capability or contact the team to discuss the requirements of a new programme.
