Every airline passenger will agree that jet engine quality is a must. For GE Aircraft Engines, in Raleigh-Durham, NC, verifying the quality of jet-engine components is critical, and the company maintains extensive documentation for each machined part. This documentation involves gathering more than 600 different values during the grinding operation to show that tolerances are met within ±0.001 inches. Fortunately, CIMPLICITY monitoring and control software and Series 15 CNCs (computer numerical controls) from GE Fanuc Automation ease this data-collection process.

"Automatic data collection is no longer limited to programmable controllers," says David Smither, assembly engineer for GE Aircraft Engines. "We’ve simplified CNC data acquisition for our Campbell grinders by using personal computers and CIMPLICITY. Our CNC programming, process monitoring, and data analysis is now accomplished on generic, Pentium®-grade computers."

GE Aircraft Engines uses CIMPLICITY to collect and track data from touch probes on three Campbell CNC radial grinders. After each machine grinds a feature, the probe verifies that the part meets blueprint tolerances. The data is then uploaded to a PC for display and then automatically archived on a file server for future statistical process control analysis. The information not only helps GE Aircraft Engines verify quality, but also gives a picture of actual cycle times to assist with scheduling and capacity planning.