HIGHEND MICROSCOPY
Design and manufacture high-quality products in small series with outstanding quality
New 3D molded metal parts underline the value of high-end measuring devices.
How do we make the quality and precision of the new NanoFocus measuring devices visible to the outside world?
The confocal microscopes from NanoFocus AG are real high-precision measuring devices. They can be used to record real three-dimensional data sets of surfaces.
With the help of image processing software, images with great depth of focus are generated from this, which make the finest surface structures in the nanometer range visible and measurable.
- Projekt: High-End-Mikroskop
- Kunde: NanoFocus AG
- Leistungen: Design der Produktlinie, Optimierung des Herstellungsverfahrens, Kostensenkung, Visualisierung
- Webseite: nanofocus.de
- Jahr: 2017
How can we do justice to the value and precision of the product in the design and at the same time take into account the requirements of small series production?
Due to their high purchase price, the devices are produced in small and medium-sized series. This also enables special equipment requests from individual customers to be taken into account.
We were given the task of redeveloping the design language of the product line.
Many manufacturing processes from mass production are out of the question here, for example because of the high investment costs for tools. With the help of alternative manufacturing methods, we have succeeded in using high-quality, 3D-formed metal components for the design, which appropriately represent the outstanding precision and value of NanoFocus AG's technology. Components of different sizes for the various models in the product line can be generated from a single tool.
Due to the surface-friendly 3D forming, even finished metal sheets with the finest surface structures can be processed for component production.
This enabled us to cost-effectively implement a very high-quality surface finish on the housing and at the same time reduce the tooling costs by more than 90% compared to the deep-drawing alternative.
The new 3D confocal microscope μsurf expert is optimized for use in testing and development laboratories and is the first device in the new NanoFocus design line.
More will follow soon.
Confocal microscopes are used in materials science to examine surfaces in a non-contact and high-resolution manner. A potential area of application for this is, for example, quality assurance for nanostructured 3D functional surfaces to reduce wear and tear and energy consumption in the automotive industry. Even in medical technology, the semiconductor industry and mechanical engineering, the smallest components and critical functional surfaces place high demands on measurement technology in development and production.
