Del West USA, Inc. (Valencia, California, USA) manufactures high performance components for automotive racing and high performance motorcycle engines. High performance engines may reach speeds exceeding 18,000 RPM. Performance and reliability are the keys to success. A Formula One engine may cost half a million dollars and only have to run for a few hundred miles, but during those miles it must offer peak performance every time. The cost of failure is too high to allow anything into the engine without absolute confidence that it conforms to design specifications. Surface finish plays a crucial role in determining the wear characteristics of our products in this extreme environment.

Del West customers demand 100% inspection and start-to-finish documentation of all phases of the manufacturing process. We must satisfy their demand and still make a profit. For years Del West has used Lasercheck 6212A systems to 100% inspect high quality valves produced. Stylus profilometer measurements suffer a number of deficiencies in this application. They are relatively slow at 15 -60 sec per measurement. The small sample trace introduces sampling errors and measurement-to-measurement variability. Stylus wear introduces longer-term variability that is difficult to quantify. The instruments are susceptible to environmental interferences, such as vibration, and generally are not suitable for installation on the shop floor. In high volume use, annual consumable costs to replace worn and broken styli can easily equal the initial cost of the system.

Lasercheck has been selected and used to address these shortcomings, and ultimately reduce inspection costs. Del West engineers report Lasercheck addresses all of their concerns with contact profilometry. Measurements are completed in about a tenth of a second. The sample area, approximately 2 mm by 4 mm in size, more accurately represents the measured surface and yields better measurement repeatability. There are no wearing parts, eliminating that as a source of error and also eliminating consumable costs. The system is remarkably robust and vibration does not interfere with the measurement.