Electro-optical Metrology:
Typical Applications in the Transport Industry

Setting Rails Straight and Level

An alignment telescope or Talyvel electronic level can be used to check the straightness and level of rails.
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Diesel Engines

Large diesels used in railway engines are prone to twisting and deformation during the period of extended service. Before re-machining of main bearings, the Alignment Telescope is used to assess the amount of deformation of the block and determine the required metal removal. Systems are also in use which enable the customer to check the parallelism of cam-bores, and squareness of cylinders to crank-bores. This type of application also lends itself to any diesel engine such as marine engines.
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Military Vehicles

Military vehicles are subject to constant updating of design. One such modification required the complete replacement of the rotational bearing of a tank turret. The new bearing had to be machined in situ and referenced back to the original datum plane. The sweep optical square has been proposed as both a setting system for the machine and also as an inspection system after completion of work.
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Fabrication of Railway Carriage Chassis

The underside of a railway carriage chassis is built with a particular camber form depending on the load capacity and design of the unit. As an extension of straightness checking with the Telescope, a package using measuring scales has been formulated giving the wide measuring range required for this application.
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Motor Industry Body Presses

Motor industry body presses are extremely large and very expensive machines with a number of precision components. Due to the size of these components they are very difficult to check in the conventional way. One problem facing the customer was how to check the parallelism of a series of large bearing bores situated in the press crown. Any misalignment of these bores, combined with manufacturing tolerances of drive shafts and gears, results in possible rapid gear wear and eventual failure. A Micro Alignment Telescope based system solves all the measurement problems outlined.
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Motor Vehicle Tyres

Motor vehicle tyres are manufactured by winding or rolling the various synthetic , steel and rubber components on to the basic carcase. It is most important that these layers are wound on in a parallel fashion to give good balance for long life and high-speed capability. The Micro Alignment Telescope and accessories have been supplied to this customer as setting equipment for the various rollers and feed system of the process.
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Gear Manufacture

Checking the tooth angle of a face gear is an application to which the minidekkor autocollimator can be applied. The practical solution involves the manufacture of a suitably located reflector onto the face of each flank of the tooth.
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Steam Locomotive 

During the original build and refurbishment the main frame alignment is an essential check.  The massive left- and right-hand frames need to be set in line and parallel to one another to ensure that the axles, wheel, bearing blocks and drive components are working together without undue stress due to misalignment.  The Micro Alignment Telescope is perfect for the job.
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