Unitech Engineers Skyrockets its Way to Success with FARO
The Gage stood out as the winning choice for Unitech because of its versatility. As the precision engineering firm made its first foray into the 3D measurement world, transiting from traditional hand tools like calipers, height gauges, and micrometers, it found that the Gage suited their needs perfectly. A robust device that can withstand the harsh working conditions of the shop floor, the Gage allows users to measure parts and assemblies easily, quickly, and accurately.
Introduction
The growth of federal commitment towards defense spending has brought about a steady rise in demand for precision components. Even as manufacturers in the aerospace and defense industries enjoy this increase, they need to remain accountable for the tiniest of components that factor into the assembly of each missile, and that must be delivered with zero defects. Due to the high technical complexity nature of aerospace and defense projects, a significant amount of engineering effort is required, supported by sophisticated measurement tools that can provide manufacturers with the highest levels of precision and accuracy.
Established in 2004 and headquartered in Hyderabad, India, Unitech Engineers (Unitech) is a leading CNC precision components manufacturer of missile parts for the defense industry. Its main clientele include India’s Defence Research & Development Laboratory, Research Center Imarat, and Avantel Limited. Apart from producing molds for the electronic and mechanical housings in defense missiles, Unitech also assembles missiles and critical system parts for clients operating in the aerospace and mechanical industries. Unitech is dedicated to serving manufacturers in the defense and aerospace market at its main facility, with a separate unit focusing purely on the composites market.
Pursuit for Progress
As a result of rising market demand for precision components, competition between aerospace and defense manufacturers also intensifies. To retain its leading foothold in the industry, Unitech assessed its current operation processes to make improvements to areas that could benefit from additional support. It was during one assessment that Unitech honed in on a potential area for improvement – upgrading Unitech’s measurement tools for better measurement ease.
While Unitech had been satisfied with using hand tools (e.g. vernier calipers, micrometers) for inspection and dimensional calculations, it was open to the idea of adopting more advanced solutions. The company was mainly motivated by its desire to expand its capabilities and enlarge its scope of services.
Mr. R. K. Patel, Production Manager at Unitech Engineers, shared, “The aerospace and defense industry is growing from strength to strength, and it is especially evident here in Hyderabad. Experts in aerospace technology surround us, and it has become crucial for Unitech to redefine its operational processes to continue its legacy as a leading aerospace precision components manufacturer. We felt that Unitech could benefit immensely if we pursued a technological upgrade.”
3D Measurement – A Chance Discovery
As business expanded, Unitech found it increasingly challenging to keep up with manual measurement methods. The measurement procedure for each missile component was taking too much time, and the employees’ growing measurement workload became a very real concern. However, what made Unitech finally take steps to rectify the situation was the realization that there was a more efficient way to perform measurement tasks.
The change came when Unitech chanced upon FARO at a trade show in Hyderabad. “We were intrigued by FARO’s pre-event publicity efforts, so we went by to the FARO booth to find out more about the company and its technologies,” Mr. Patel elaborated. “At the booth, we were treated to an on-site demonstration of the devices. It was an eye-opener for us, and we were particularly impressed with FARO Gage, firmly believing that it would aid us in production.”
An accurate 3D gauge for smaller components, the FARO Gage is a portable CMM solution that packs a punch with its high accuracy and consistency levels, as well as its ability to reduce inspection time and automatically generate measurement reports. With accuracy levels of up to 0.018mm, the Gage is a high- precision, portable device that Unitech can rely on to inspect its missile components that range from 2mm to 1.5m in size.
Ideal for quality control tasks such as geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and for exporting to statistical process control (SPC), the Gage also excels in carrying out first article inspection, 3D inspection, and dimensional analysis of composite tooling.
Gage-ing FARO’s 3D Competency
The Gage stood out as the winning choice for Unitech because of its versatility. As the precision engineering firm made its first foray into the 3D measurement world, transiting from traditional hand tools like calipers, height gauges, and micrometers, it found that the Gage suited their needs perfectly. A robust device that can withstand the harsh working conditions of the shop floor, the Gage allows users to measure parts and assemblies easily, quickly, and accurately.
Flawlessly meeting Unitech’s requirements for accuracy measurements, the Gage supported Unitech’s production processes perfectly. First used to check the entire missile component, the Gage picks up on unnoticed discrepancies before the component enters the production stages for further inspection that can take up to two hours.
Mr. Patel observed, “The FARO Gage was able to fulfill our measurement demands, and we find our employees utilizing the device frequently, especially during production and post-production stages. For such an advanced piece of equipment, we are pleasantly surprised by its ease-of-use. In fact, our staff has taken to the Gage very quickly.”
As an additional bonus, the Gage’s user-friendly software also provides Unitech with handy reports. Generated automatically, the Gage is able to capture and store important digital data that could be shared easily amongst Unitech’s employees. The company can also input and create customized routines for repeat part measurements with the intelligent device, a time-saving feature that greatly enhances business productivity.
A current staple in Unitech’s production processes, the Gage is actively engaged for up to 4 hours every day, and the duration can stretch up to 9 hours during peak periods. The device is mostly used on complex components with higher levels of measurement difficulty, especially where GD&T is concerned. Otherwise, the team at Unitech still makes use of hand tools to fulfill simple measurement tasks.
A Match Made in Heaven
When asked if Unitech would recommend the FARO Gage to other similar businesses, Mr. Patel readily shared that they had already done so. He remarked, “Considering how the Gage has worked well for us, it was only natural that we tell our associates about it. Ever since we adopted the device, the team has been able to detect quality issues with much more ease and in a shorter time. FARO has enabled us to confidently meet the delivery needs of aerospace clients, and we could not have asked for a better technological match.”
