As part of its ongoing development programme, Vapormatt, the leading manufacturer of wet blast systems for edge preparation, has invested in the latest precision measuring system from Alicona. The new IF-EdgeMaster is an optical 3D surface measurement system that plays a crucial role, helping Vapormatt with its ISO9001 quality control procedures and enabling the company to demonstrate to customers the repeatability and accuracy of results that are achievable from its range of wet blasting machines.
Mick Teague, Sales Director of Vapormatt, explains, “At Vapormatt, we have perfected the wet blast process so that it is highly controlled and suitable for use with a range of different cutting tools. In each case, our systems can, using several parameters, provide several “recipes” or programmes that will produce an edge radius to within +/- 10 microns of a customer’s specification. Using advanced surface measurement technology from specialists such as Alicona 3D is therefore crucial for us and our customers”.
“We have chosen Alicona as our preferred supplier for a number of reasons: the quality, accuracy and repeatability of their measuring system; its ease of setup and use; their exceptional technical support; and their focus on customer applications. As a supplier, they worked closely with us to understand the particular needs of our business and the markets in which we operate.”
One of the key areas for which Vapormatt will be using the latest Alicona system will be for edge measurement. In particular, Alicona’s Focus Variation technique, which uses high resolution 3D surface measurement, is giving Vapormatt repeatable and traceable results in just seconds.
Longer term, as the Alicona measuring system can be used to cover all complex and intricate geometries of deburred, ground, burnished or polished workpieces and tools, it will allow Vapormatt to prove the quality of each finish to its customers, quickly, easily and to a proven standard in a wide range of applications.
Mick Teague concludes, “Alicona is close to our markets and, from our point of view, the Alicona system is quite simply the best there is at the moment. I expect the introduction of the Alicona technology to deliver new opportunities and insights for Vapormatt, which we can convert into even more innovative machines for high-precision, economical surface finishing.”
