Engineers Week Special: Colm Taylor – Manufacturing Manager

March 4, 2020

Engineers Week Special: Colm Taylor – Manufacturing Manager

March 4, 2020

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Engineers Week Engineering STEPS

STEPS Engineers Weeks purpose is to promote the art of Engineering and its importance to children and young adults across Ireland. This year, it runs from the 29th of February to the 6th March 2020


Engineers Week is organised by The Engineers Ireland STEPS Programme.


The not-for-profit initiative is committed to increasing awareness and interest in engineering as a future profession for students. Last year, there were over 850 activities ran throughout STEPS Engineers Week.

Supported by Science Foundation Ireland, the aim of STEPS Engineers Week is to positively showcase engineering as a valued and highly-important career choice to children in the Republic of Ireland through numerous workshops and projects.


Therefore, to celebrate the week-long initiative, we sit down with Verus Manufacturing Manager Colm Taylor to discuss his views on the upcoming trends in the Engineering Industry and what advice he would give to someone considering a career in Engineering.

1. What trends do you think will shape the future of the Engineering Industry? How will Verus Metrology respond to these trends?

I would say automation will play a major part in the future of Engineering in Ireland. The shifts towards Industry 4.0 are evident sector-wide and Verus is responding very rapidly to the growing demands that our clients require.

Incorporating automation into the design of our bespoke metrology fixtures is just the starting point in Verus’ efforts to align our methods with new industry trends and has led to a higher level of demand already.

We have increased our manufacturing capacity with the introduction of three new machining centers in the last year also. Alongside this, the addition of three new staff members has aided towards a more efficient and productive manufacturing process.

Verus also have a dedicated R&D facility located in Sligo, for this very reason. It will be interesting to see how the proposed future developments play out.

2. How has the industry developed during your career?

Technology, and the role it plays within the industry has developed massively during my career as an engineer. There is ongoing advancements in technology systems happening every day.

The quality of our metrology fixtures and the speed that they are now being produced at, means we can continue to cater towards the ever-growing needs of our clients.

Hurco-Training-1-steps

However, with the new technologies comes the need for advanced and on-going training.

This ensures that as engineers, we are constantly learning new skills and techniques every day.

3. What do you credit as the key to your success?

I always say that it’s the team around you and the people you work with that will be the key to forging a successful career in any role or industry.

At Verus, the engineering team has such a dynamic and diverse background. As Toolmakers. each brings with them a wealth of knowledge and expertise, especially in dealing with medical devices.

Without their enthusiasm and attention to detail, it would not be possible to achieve what we have done now, and we will continue to improve on it well into the future.

4. What has been the greatest challenge in your career?

I find, the greatest challenge to any engineering career is to keep up with the constant advancements in technology and machining methods we witness on a regular basis. There is always something new out there to improve on from what we are currently doing.

However, while it is a challenge, it is certainly a driving force also! The ever-evolving technology improvements we encounter ensures we stay at the forefront of new developments. Consequently, this has resulted in Verus working alongside some of the world’s most industry-leading companies.

5. The Engineering Industry needs more people to pursue it as a career. To conclude, what advice would you give to a young person considering a career in Engineering?

“A role in engineering will provide you with many career opportunities both within the locality and further afield.”

This is because the skills learned throughout your career can be utilised in many different sectors.

Therefore, the advice I would give someone looking to enter the Engineering Industry is to keep training and upskilling. By continuing to better yourself, you will always be up to date with the ever-advancing software and engineering/manufacturing processes that is out there.


For more information on our expert, in-house manufacturing facilities contact Colm Taylor on +353 71 91 43506 (ext. 213). Moreover, be sure to subscribe to our NEWSLETTER to receive our technical blogs, customer updates, and all the latest developments.

Introduction 

As 2024 unfolds, the field of metrology is witnessing transformative changes. At Verus Metrology, we recognize the importance of keeping pace with technological advancements and new trends in the science of measurement. In this rapidly evolving landscape, innovations in metrology are not just about achieving precision; they are about meeting the evolving challenges of industries like medical devices, where accuracy is critical for ensuring safety and quality. This article explores the emerging trends and technological breakthroughs shaping metrology’s future. 

As 2024 unfolds, the field of metrology is witnessing transformative changes. At Verus Metrology, we recognize the importance of keeping pace with technological advancements and new trends in the science of measurement. In this rapidly evolving landscape, innovations in metrology are not just about achieving precision; they are about meeting the evolving challenges of industries like medical devices, where accuracy is critical for ensuring safety and quality. This article explores the emerging trends and technological breakthroughs shaping metrology’s future. 

Metrology Fixture Types – What’s Available, and Which is Best?

9 February 2023

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Fixture type and use cases

Metrology fixturing technologies continue to develop at a rapid pace, offering manufacturers in the medical device industry new and innovative solutions. Those solutions don’t just meet inspection and quality process requirements, but they also deliver efficiency savings and productivity gains. How do you know what metrology fixture types are available and which is best for your application? In this blog, we’ll outline the main options, their underlying technologies, and the use cases they are best suited for. 

However, it is also important to point out that the fixture types described in this blog represent broad categories. Within those categories, there is an infinite number of ways that a fixturing solution can be developed to meet your specific needs, reduce risk, and take advantage of opportunity

While there are metrology fixture types that we can explore, every fixture solution that we develop here at Verus Metrology is completely unique. In other words, fully customised for the product or component being measured, as well as the inspection machine, quality department workflows, production processes, and any other influencing factor. 

Metrology Fixture Types 

There are six main metrology fixture types: 

  • Auto rotational 
  • Manual rotator 
  • Multi-station
  • Proof of Principle (POP) 
  • Vision system 
  • Docking station 

 

Auto-Rotational Fixtures

Isometric view of an auto rotational metrology checking fixture, the automatic part of the fixture is the turning of the rail by a motor. The fixture has white plastic components held in place using brown clips

 

At a fundamental level, the job of a metrology fixture is to hold a product or component securely in place so it can be effectively inspected and measured. However, there are situations where the inspection process requires the part to be presented at different orientations to enable all the relevant measurements to be taken. This requirement for measurement in multiple orientations is increasing as medical device products become more complex and intricate. 

Auto-rotational fixtures enable the inspection of products and components in multiple orientations with minimal operator intervention. An auto-rotational fixture can be a single-station set-up, but they more commonly come in multi-station designs to minimise the time it takes to achieve your required sample rate. 

The most important feature of an auto-rotational fixture is that you can measure multiple components in multiple orientations in a single setup. 

Manual Rotator Fixtures

Manual Rotator Metrology Fixtures by Verus Metrology

Manual rotator fixtures offer similar benefits to auto-rotational fixtures. The obvious main difference is that operators manually rotate components once they are loaded into the fixture. 

Manual rotator fixtures can be multi-station. They are also designed so that all measurements in all orientations can be taken in one set-up. So, while the operator will need to manually control the rotation mechanism, there is no requirement to touch or adjust the components as the fixture holds them securely in place during rotation. 

The benefits of manual rotator fixtures include: 

  • Significantly reduced operator intervention 
  • Improved measurement accuracy 
  • Elimination of errors 
  • Faster and more efficient metrology processes 

Furthermore, we can design your manual rotator fixture so it can be loaded with components away from your CMM. This improves CMM availability as the machine doesn’t have to sit idle while components are being loaded onto the fixture. 

Multi-Station Fixtures 

multi station rotator

According to FDA regulations and ISO 13485, it is essential that you can statistically justify sampling rates in your quality procedures using a risk-based approach. The operational part of this requirement isn’t covered in the guidelines, but it is an important business consideration. How do you efficiently, accurately, and cost-effectively inspect the number of products or components that are required to hit your sampling rate target? 

Multi-station fixtures are a common solution. We can design multi-station fixtures in any configuration. This could be a large cavity multi-station fixture, a fixture to inspect very small and complex medical devices, or solutions for products or components of any size, geometry, or characteristic. 

The benefits of multi-station fixtures include: 

  • Operator intervention is greatly reduced 
  • Fixtures only need to be loaded once before full inspection routines can take place on multiple products at the same time 
  • Reduce human error 
  • Speed up inspection processes while achieving your sampling rate target 
  • Reducing the cost of inspections 

 

Proof of Principle Multi-station Prototype Fixtures 

proof of principle

 

In many product development and process change situations, it is beneficial to have a POP fixture that can be used for verification and validation purposes. The approach we typically take at Verus Metrology is to design a multi-station fixture to deliver on your requirements. 

However, before this multi-station fixture design goes into manufacturing, we design and produce a single-station POP prototype fixture. This POP prototype can be manufactured quickly in our advanced manufacturing facility. We’ll then put it through a gage R&R study to give you confidence in its repeatability and reproducibility, before sending it to you for evaluation and testing. 

POP prototype fixtures offer a range of benefits: 

  • Facilitates design for inspection during the product development process 
  • Minimises delays in process verification 
  • Enhances and speeds up the design transfer process 
  • Reduces time to market in line with regulatory requirements 

 

Vision System Solutions

We also design and manufacture fixturing solutions for vision systems in addition to the fixtures we design for use on CMMs. Fixturing solutions that are optimised for vision systems have a number of specific and differentiating features, including ensuring there is a clean and clear view of the part. 

Vision system solutions can also allow for backlighting where necessary. Furthermore, a single set-up is all that is required for the full inspection routine to take place, with parts securely held with as little force as possible. 

 

Docking Systems 

Docking System Verus Metrolody

Docking systems enhance the efficiency of quality departments that use multiple fixtures and/or have high sampling rates. Docking systems are securely fixed to CMMs to make it quick and easy for technicians to load fixtures that are fully set up with components ready for inspection. Once the inspection routine for a fixture is complete, it can be quickly and easily removed from the docking system ready for the next fixture to be loaded. 

With a custom-designed docking system, you can have confidence that each changeover results in precisely secured fixtures for repeatable and reproduceable inspections. 

Choosing the Right Fixture for Your Requirements

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best type of metrology fixture for your requirements. Your budget is an important consideration, as are your ROI goals, quality processes, quality resources, and future requirements. 

The best approach is to speak to a fixture design expert to explore the options and get an understanding of what is possible. Contact us today to find out more. 

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About Verus Metrology Partners

Verus is committed to the enhancement of our client’s metrology laboratories, machine efficiencies, and inspection processes. Since our beginning, our expert metrology engineering team has partnered with some of the world’s largest MedTech multinationals.

 

We specialize in high quantity, difficult to measure, yet critically important, medical device parts. As well as working in the MedTech, Pharmaceutical and Personal Care industry, we also work with metrology departments in the FMCG and Aerospace industry.