Brilex Industries has established itself as a worldwide source for fabricating, machining, and complete machine assembly. Founded in 1996 by two brothers, Brian and Alex Benyo, Brilex has become known as one of Youngstown, Ohio’s most aggressive and fastest-growing companies. It has become a preferred full-service supplier to many leading OEMs and end users in the metals, rubber, plastics and glass, energy, and other capital-equipment industries.
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The company has grown to a position of leadership through proven performance, dedication, and continual investment in its people, facilities, and advanced equipment. This provides both Brilex and its customers with the advantages needed to compete in today’s global market.
Problem
As expected for a manufacturer that supplies such a large range of industries and customers, the parts that Brilex works with every day have an equally large range of size. Parts can range anywhere from as “small” as 30 lb up to 70 tons. These parts tend to be medium to large, fabricated, and machined or assembled products such as housings, gearboxes, platens, bearing races, scissor lifts, shredders, transfer cars, pressure vessels, chocks, bushings, work-roll shafts, turbine components, and more.
Traditionally, Brilex used an assortment of tools to measure these various parts since it would be difficult for one tool to work for all of the parts. Brilex used outside diameter (OD) and inside diameter (ID) micrometers, height gauges, bore gauges, calipers, and similar hand tools.
For Brilex, like many manufacturers, time and capability are always an issue. During the past few years, the products the company builds and works with have become increasingly large and complex. In addition, many customers now require extensive documentation packages with complete traceability of material and dimensional results. The measurements obtained from traditional tools were sufficient, but were time-consuming considering the increasing complexity of the parts and the necessity for multiple setups to measure all of the critical dimensions.
Solution
Brilex needed a better solution, one that could answer both its expanding need for quality and its ever-present need to stay on schedule. The answer came from FARO. The portable CMMs provided by FARO enable Brilex to perform many of the required inspections with much greater accuracy and repeatability in a fraction of the time. Where it was not always possible to get all the measurements Brilex needed using past methods, now that can be achieved using portable CMMs.
There was a learning curve in implementing the new technology, especially in changing the mindset of those accustomed to using conventional measurement tools, but the combined training and support provided by FARO made this fairly seamless. That support was provided by FARO via local account managers Trevor Murcko and Eric Boyer, as well as applications engineers and online support. Their assistance helped to show new users the benefits of reducing inspection time and changing their processes to improve overall quality.
Brilex uses both the FaroArm and the FARO Laser Tracker ION to verify setup, for fabrication inspection, and during final inspection. A portable measurement arm, the FaroArm is used mostly on parts where geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) is called out or in situations that may require additional setups. The FaroArm can be placed directly on the part or set on an inspection table, and measuring can be started without having to set up or level the part being inspected. The scanning feature is used, for example, to check the profile of a casting and then compare it to the CAD file to assist manufacturing. The flexibility and portability are key, and many of the software features in CAM2 are huge time savers for Brilex.
The parts checked by Brilex with the FARO Laser Tracker are generally longer than 20 ft. Such parts typically require specific flatness tolerances. In other cases, these parts will have faces to be machined, and the Tracker is used to verify that proper stock allowances exist. In some cases, subject parts have specific angles that are required to be held or machined.
Another advantage of the Tracker is that it is accurate in verifying specific locations over a long distance that must be held. Regardless of the length of the part, the Tracker can verify all features either in a single setup, or in multiple setups. If multiple setups are required, reference points can be established during the first setup, so that when the Tracker is moved to a new location, the reference points are picked up from the first setup and used for another set of measurements.
The Laser Tracker ION allows Brilex to check dimensions over greater distance and to inspect geometric fit, form, and function items that would be extremely difficult and cumbersome to evaluate.
“The most significant advantage of a laser tracker versus a conventional laser measurement system is the ability to establish datum points on the workpiece being evaluated and leapfrog the tracker around the workpiece,” says Bud Geddes, manager of manufacturing at Brilex. “Doing this allows the user to measure relationships between features that would otherwise not be possible.”
“Some of the products we manufacture are fairly large and expensive,” says Dan Hall, the quality control manager at Brilex. “When mistakes cannot afford to be made, we have the Laser Tracker ION to ensure machine tool and part alignment prior to machining critical features.”
Return on investment
For Brilex, using portable CMMs has improved its capability and confidence as well as the quality it delivers to their customers.
As an example of real return, a part that had previously taken an average of five hours to inspect can now be inspected in less than two hours due to the time saved not having to retrieve and calibrate, or to do additional setups with all of the other measuring equipment Brilex used previously. Most of the products the company manufactures are not repeat production, but when Brilex does work with more than one part, the time saved using a portable measurement arm and laser tracker is also reduced.
“Having the ability to ensure dimensional conformance of large products with stringent quality requirements has definitely played a role in the placement of several new orders,” says Hall. “But the greatest benefits we have realized are the time savings and the improvement in our ability to measure large fabrications—and the added confidence of our customers.”
“The ability to measure complex geometry in a quick and accurate fashion, anywhere on the shop floor, makes this technology far superior to having a CMM,” says Brian Benyo, Brilex’s president. “With FARO’s user-friendly technology, we are able to validate results during the manufacturing process, make adjustments, and know that dimensional part requirements are met on the machine tool or at the fitting table. Having this ability is a total game changer.”
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