First U.S.-Built Wenzel X-Orbit CMM Shipped to Contract Manufacturer, Midwest Machining Solutions


New X-Orbit CMM was purchased as part of capital investment program for the Quality Control department that included retrofitting an older CMM with new OpenDMIS software and trading in another for the new Wenzel machine.

Since its founding in 2003, Xspect Solutions has concentrated on becoming a leading source for total CMM metrology that allows manufacturers to focus on their manufacturing priorities while allowing Xspect's Xsperts to evaluate, make recommendations and provide the best equipment and software solutions for CMM measuring, whether it is new or pre-owned equipment.

This is exactly what Rick Creveling, president of Midwest Machining Solutions in Eastlake, Ohio was looking for when he contacted Xspect Solutions early in 2007. Midwest Machining Solutions is a precision ISO9001:2000 contract CNC and screw machining supplier whose primary business is focused on fluid systems components, industrial products and aircraft products. Creveling notes, " In recent years we have developed our capabilities for machining tough materials like stainless steel, high-strength and temperature-sensitive alloys and duplex raw materials, typical of those used in the aerospace, aircraft and defense industries. As a result, we have expanded our customer base for these more sophisticated machined products, and along with that came the need for better and faster CMM measuring and verification capability."

Creveling explains, "Midwest is a fairly good size contract machining supplier with over 40 CNC machines and 19 multiple spindle automatic screw machines. We had two older Starrett CMMs that weren't giving us the capability or throughput that our business now required. We definitely needed some help in determining what our best options were, and during our evaluation process of CMM suppliers, Xspect Solutions gave us the most practical and cost-effective solutions."

Keith Mills, Xspect Solutions president, points out, "The Midwest Machining scenario is similar to what we find at many job shops and contract manufacturers today. Older CMMs that are either manual or automatic with obsolete software, electronics, computers and probing systems. The best solution for each customer is different and in Midwest's case we were able to provide some upgrading as well as new capability."

Mills adds, "Like many customers, Midwest prefers having CMMs with granite plates...and so do we. Having the confidence in the thermal stability and dynamic performance of your CMM is paramount, particularly when the CMM is in a shop floor type of environment. Our recommendation to Midwest was to let Xspect Solutions take the older manual Starrett Rapid Check II as a trade in, upgrade the Starrett all-granite HGDC 24x20x16 with a new Wenzel CNC controller and OpenDMIS(TM) software, and also provide a new economical Wenzel X-Orbit XO55, our first Wenzel machine built and shipped from our new Wenzel manufacturing facility in Wixom, Michigan."

"We recognize," Creveling says, "that CMMs today are all about software and support. And Xspect has given us exactly what we needed with respect to teaching and implementing their OpenDMIS(TM) software, which we made common on both the older Starrett and the new Wenzel X-Orbit machine. Before we ordered the new Wenzel and performed the retrofit, we tested the accuracy of the machines and the inspection reports
through a third party inspection service, and found both machines to be 'right on'."

Like all Wenzel CMMs, the X-Orbit has been designed and built to with intrinsic accuracy and to exacting and rugged machine tool standards. It uses fine grain native-black granite producing thermal stability with outstanding dynamic performance, tremendous stiffness and natural vibration dampening. It utilizes the industry standard Renishaw TP20 or TP200 probing systems and offers volumetric accuracy of 2.5 microns.

The X-Orbit XO55 has a 3D measuring speed of 700 mm/sec with maximum acceleration of 2,000mm/sec2. The Model XO 5.7.5 has a measuring range (X Y Z axes) of 500mm x 700mm x 500mm.

Xspect Solutions, Inc. headquartered in Wixom, Michigan, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wenzel GmbH of Germany. Xspect Solutions is the Number 3 supplier of
CMMs in the North American metrology market including; new Wenzel CMMs, and is the world's largest supplier of pre-owned CMM equipment. Xspect Solutions also supplies new Wenzel CMMs with its OpenDMIS(TM) software to the North American markets.

Send all Inquiries To:
Keith Mills, Xspect Solutions, Inc.
47000 Liberty Drive
Wixom, Michigan 48393
Tel: (248) 295-4300
Fax: 248-295-4301
kmills@XspectSolutions.com

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