u/awy12

What is your opinion of CMM rotary tables? What measurements do they enable? How does the software keep track of part while it is rotating?

I once had a horizontal rotary chuck on an optical CMM, but adjusting the runout of the chuck had to be performed manually on each part and it was a pain. Eventually I stopped using it.

Recently I've seen videos of CMMs measuring gears on rotary tables and it looks like it would speed things up, but my past experience makes me skeptical.

I'm slowly working towards ISO 17025 compliance for my dimensional inspection company. One thing that has come up is how to maintain traceability from an exported inspection report to the version of the CMM program or inspection program that was used to create it.

For example: I create an inspection program in CMM software and export a report for a single sample. A few samples later, I make a tweak to the program to accommodate a part that needs a larger approach distance. Both reports were generated by the same program, but they were different versions of the program.

I know from previous experience that relying on myself to remember to save a new version of the program prior to making changes isn't reliable. How are others handling this situation? Manual "Save as..." commands? PDM/PLM software? Saving to SharePoint, Box, etc.? Something else entirely?

For anyone curious, here is the relevant text from ISO 17025:

7.5.1 The laboratory shall ensure that technical records for each laboratory activity contain the results, report and sufficient information to facilitate, if possible, identification of factors affecting the measurement result and its associated measurement uncertainty and enable the repetition of the laboratory activity under conditions as close as possible to the original. The technical records shall include the date and the identity of personnel responsible for each laboratory activity and for checking data and results. Original observations, data and calculations shall be recorded at the time they are made and shall be identifiable with the specific task.

Question:

Is there ERP/lab management software specifically made for testing/inspection labs?

More info about my situation:

I own a small company offering dimensional inspection services (3D scanners, CMMs, mesh/point cloud inspections, etc.). Currently I manage finances (bookkeeping, estimates, invoices, payments, etc.) with QuickBooks, project-specific files (measured data, project files, reports, etc.) using a file system on a NAS shared folder, and everything else (e.g. gage management, SOPs, flowcharts, etc.) using Microsoft 365's apps. This system is working, but it can be hard to keep track of it all, and I'm missing functionality that task-specific apps might provide.

I've had a desire to improve my current system for a while now, and I'm starting to investigate it more seriously. It seems like I could purchase task-specific solutions, but it may be difficult to make them all work together. For example, I would need the following apps:

• CRM
• Finance
• Project management
• Gage management
• Drawing ballooning software
• Flowchart software
• File storage
• Document management (check-in/out, version control)
• Other functions I'm probably forgetting

The other option seems to be ERP software, which could cover some of these requirements in a single software, but my observation is that most of the reasonably-priced ERP software out there focuses on manufacturing instead of testing/inspection. Either that, or you have to pay someone to customize the software a lot to meet your company's specific needs.

Are you the owner of a small business offering dimensional inspection services? If so, I'd love to chat about what has (and hasn't) worked well for your business. 

As the owner of a small business operating since 2021, some aspects of my business have done well, but others haven't. I'd be happy to share my own experience if you're willing to share yours. 

Send me a private message if you're open to having a conversation. I'm not looking to promote my business - just share experiences. Thanks!