Whether it's machining centers, boring mills, lathes or grinders, Hamar Laser has alignment equipment to fit your geometric and machine tool calibration needs. All Hamar Laser alignment systems use patented, state-of-the-art technology to align your metal cutting machinery as quickly and simply as possible. In almost all cases, the alignment process can be completed 60 to 70% faster than using conventional means (levels, squares, indicators, straight edges, theodolites etc.) or interferometry (linear measuring lasers).

Traditional machine tool calibration and alignment methods usually require days or even weeks to complete. That, combined with stack-up errors that can limit the machine's tolerance potential, makes machine tool calibration and machining center alignment to today's ever-tightening tolerances a very time-consuming and difficult exercise. In fact, most companies rarely check alignment of their machines because it takes too much production time.

However, with Hamar Laser's machining center alignment and calibration equipment, you will have the time to align your machines and keep your production manager happy at the same time. With a laser plane flatness of at least 1/4 arc second (0.000015"/ft or 0.001 mm/M), our alignment systems will also help the machine tools cut better parts, reduce scrap rates and increase productivity. See John Deere article on reduced part setup time.

One of the biggest misconceptions in the machine tool industry is that proper linear positioning is all that is needed to make quality parts. All of our customers have found out the hard way that to really make quality parts, the first thing that should be checked and calibrated is the geometry (surface flatness, straightness, squareness and parallelism measurements). Only then should the linear positioning of a machine tool be checked and calibrated. Failing to follow this sequence will result in a costly trial and error period, poor part quality and reduced throughput.

In the words of Mike Breen, Field Service Engineer for Ellison Machinery Company,

"Nothing saves more money than aligning your machines. The tooling (mills, drills, and inserts) is very costly, and alignment greatly increases tool life."
(Source: Modern Application News, August 2001).

For further discussion, read:
"Why Machine Tools Continue To Have Quality Problems after Linear Calibration."

Our laser machining center alignment and machine tool calibration systems come in 2 basic types:

1. Straight-Line Laser Systems - designed for lathe, bore and cylindrical grinding applications for surface flatness and straightness measurement and spindle alignments.
2. Continuously Rotating Laser Systems - designed for machining center, gantry, floor mill, injection molding machines, boring mill and surface grinding applications for surface flatness, squareness and straightness measurement.

Our continuously rotating laser systems come in 2 accuracy grades:

1. The L-730 Precision Series - for those with accuracy needs of 0.00012"/ft (0.01 mm/M) or higher; and
2. The L-740 Ultra-Precision Series - for those with accuracy needs of 0.00002"/ft (0.0017 mm/M) or higher.