Raising the bar for quality assurance

The TRITOP measuring method originates from the automobile industry, and has since been taken up by the wind industry. It is not the only technology for geometric measuring, but might be the most flexible one as it enables high accuracy measuring of both small and extremely large items, it is non-sensitive to its operating environment and at the same time it is very easily movable. Actually, it can be transported in a standard suitcase.

“Having moved from producing electrical boxes and cabinets to large systems incorporating mechanical constructions, this measuring system is perfect for the purpose. All we need is a camera, a bunch of stickers and a pc with an advanced piece of software installed on it,” says Jørgen Vestergaard, Specialist in Mechanical Design.

How it works
A number of stickers are placed on the item to be measured. Every sticker represents a three-dimensional measuring point. When all the necessary points have been marked up, the item is photographed from different angles. The advanced part then lies in the software, which recognises crosses and marks, and analyses the geometric tolerances such as the height, width and length as well as location of holes, parallelism and planarity of a construction. A scale bar placed on the item ensures the correct dimensions and traceability to industry standards.

The TRITOP system thereby enables KK Wind Solutions to verify complex customer requirements and specifications in a fast and accurate manner.

“Without the measuring system, we would normally have to spend long time adjusting. If components were not assembled with a perfect match they would bend out of shape or the construction would not fulfil requirements for instance as to ingress protection. Thus, the new system enables us to save time and assure quality to an even higher standard,” Jørgen Vestergaard tells.

Exploring where to use TRITOP
KK Wind Solutions has tested the system via an external consultancy company at KK-factories in Poland and Denmark and will start using its own TRITOP system in June. Most of the work with TRITOP will be done by quality employees at the KK-factory in Szczecin, Poland backed up by a team of specialists in both Ikast and Szczecin.

“So far, we expect to use it as an integrated part of our development of prototypes and 0-series, but we will be exploring in which other areas we can utilize this system. However, it would also be relevant to use the system for spot checks in the ordinary production to keep ourselves and our suppliers focused on delivering the right quality to the right specifications for the benefit of everybody from supplier to end user,” says Jørgen Vestergaard.