Special Vehicle Manufacturing

Special vehicles refer to work vehicles that are specially manufactured or modified, equipped with unique structures, devices, and equipment for specific purposes. Common examples in daily life include dump trucks, cementing trucks, fracturing t

rucks, road clearance vehicles, aerial work platforms, fire trucks, concrete pump trucks, snow plows, and so on, all of which are representative of large engineering vehicles.

Due to their special structures and complex working environments, the quality requirements during the manufacturing process are extremely strict. The manufacturing tolerances for each component must be within a very small range to ensure the smooth realization of their functions, providing a solid and stable guarantee for operations.

Figure 1: Special Vehicles and Components

Typical Measurement Requirements for Special Vehicle Components

Measurement of Structural Components

Key Features: Large Size, High Precision.

Structural components of special vehicles often have the characteristic of large size; due to their special purposes such as load-bearing and lifting, the fit between structural components must be extremely high, which imposes very strict requirements on the manufacturing precision of these components, typically within 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, focusing mainly on key dimensions such as the distance between holes, flatness, and parallelism of various parts.

Measurement of Boom Arms

Key features: large size, high precision, hinge points, coaxiality.

The boom is a key component of certain models of large special vehicles, serving as the foundation for lifting functions. Large special vehicles with lifting capabilities (such as aerial work platforms, fire trucks, etc.) can often achieve lifting heights ranging from several meters to dozens of meters. To ensure the safety of the operators, the inspection requirements for components related to the lifting mechanism are also extremely strict.

The key points of boom measurement lie in the position of the hinge points and the coaxiality between the hinge points. The hinge points serve the functions of load-bearing and joint pivot, so the detection accuracy of their coaxiality is usually required to be within 0.05mm.

Measurement of the Tower

Key features: large size, difficult to measure (parts are obstructed).

Special operation engineering vehicles, such as fire trucks, are integrated with tower components. The tower components have a relatively unique external structure, characterized by large dimensions, and the combination of parts creates many hollow and obstructed areas, which poses significant challenges for measurement operations.

A PI solution

For the measurement and inspection of various stages in the manufacturing of large engineering vehicles, the use of the API brand Radian laser tracker, along with corresponding functional expansion accessories, can meet the above requirements.

Radian laser tracker is an excellent solution for large-scale precision measurement, with measurement accuracy at the micrometer (μm) level and a measurement range of up to 160It can provide precise measurement assurance for all aspects of manufacturing large special operation vehicles.

Figure 2: Radian Laser Tracker Special Vehicle Structural Component Inspection & Measurement Report

Measurement of Structural Components

First, set up the Radian laser tracker at a suitable position next to the workpiece to be measured, connect it to a laptop, and run the measurement software to begin the measurement.

During the measurement of structural components, the operator holds the laser tracker target sphere (SMR) with a built-in prism to touch the area to be measured. The main unit of the laser tracker emits a laser to lock onto and track the center of the SMR. When the SMR touches the area to be measured, the three-dimensional coordinates of that point are accurately collected at a sampling rate of 1,000 Hz and transmitted to the measurement software for recording and storage. After collecting several such target points on the workpiece, corresponding lines, surfaces, and volumes can be formed in the software based on the positions of the points, and the corresponding geometric tolerance data can be calculated. It can also be compared with the digital model to achieve the purpose of measurement and inspection.

Figure 3: Radian Laser Tracker + vProbe Hidden Point Intelligent Probe Special Vehicle Boom Detection Operation Site

Measurement of Boom Arms

Similar to the measurement of structural components, after setting up the laser tracker, use the SMR to perform point measurements at various locations of the hinge points and feed back to the software for coaxiality analysis and comparison.

It is worth noting that during the measurement operation of the boom hinge points, due to the shape characteristics of the components, there are often situations where the laser is obstructed and deep holes need to be measured. If only the SMR is used, it is difficult to measure these hidden areas and deep holes. At this time, the vProbe hidden point intelligent probe can be used to extend the laser tracker's measurement capabilities for deep holes and hidden points.

The vProbe main unit also has a laser receiving device similar to the SMR. By simply connecting it to the laser tracker, the vProbe's ruby probe can be inserted into deep holes and hidden points for precise data collection, easily solving the measurement challenges of hidden areas on the workpiece.

Measurement of the Tower

The tower components have a relatively unique external structure, characterized by large dimensions and a combination of parts that create many hollow and obstructed areas. When using the laser tracker for measurement, it is easy for the laser beam to be obstructed, making the measurement operation quite challenging.

The Radian laser tracker is integrated with the iVision intelligent camera, which, through its Autolock function, can automatically search for and quickly lock onto the target sphere at the position where the laser is interrupted, ensuring a smooth measurement operation and allowing the operator to focus on the measurement task itself.

Figure 4: API Laser Tracker Special Vehicle Component Detection Site Display (1)

Figure 5: On-site demonstration of special vehicle component detection using API laser tracker (2)

Figure 6: On-site demonstration of special vehicle component detection using API laser tracker (3)

Figure 7: On-site demonstration of special vehicle component detection using API laser tracker (4)

Figure 8: On-site demonstration of special vehicle component detection using API laser tracker (5)

Summary

API Radian series laser tracker, with its ultra-high precision (μm, 0.001mm), can fully meet the typical 0. in various stages of large engineering vehicle manufacturing.1mm- 0.2mm, with a maximum precision requirement of 0.05mm; the vProbe hidden point intelligent probe accessory and the iVision intelligent camera auxiliary system have greatly facilitated the operator's use, making human-machine interaction more user-friendly and measurement operations more flexible and convenient.

Figure 9: Headquarters Building of API Company

About A PI

The API brand was founded by Dr. Kam Lau in 1987 in Rockville, Maryland, USA. He is the inventor of the laser tracker and holds multiple patents in globally leading measurement technologies, making him a leader in the field of precision measurement technology. Since its establishment, API has been dedicated to the research and production of precision measuring instruments and high-performance sensors in the mechanical manufacturing sector. Its products are widely used in advanced manufacturing fields around the world and are at the forefront of high-precision standards in coordinate measurement and machine tool performance testing