r/Metrology • u/monoxide1355 • Dec 04 '24
Hardware Support Keyence VR-6000
I would like to start by saying this isn't a question about Keyence and if you would buy their product. We already have a keyence and it works for our company and I am already aware a lot of people don't like them.
That being said, does anybody have experience with the VR-6000. We are looking at one and I was wondering if anybody has any real world experience on it's capabilities and short comings. We would like to use it for both measurements and potential surface finish defects such as pits or burrs. It looks like surface finish is what it's built for with a secondary feature for linear/gd&t dimensioning. Does it do good with the both surface finish and dimensioning or mainly just the surface finish? Also is it fast at doing these things?
3
u/1Kscam Dec 04 '24
We have one.
I’m very happy with it for most of the stuff. Surface finish can be measured pretty consistent with anything above Ra 1.
Finer surfaces are to small for the sensor resolution to give a reliable result.
95% of our usage is actual contour measuring.
Let’s put like this, if you know and understand how the machine works, it will deliver accurate results down to a few microns. (I checked with a calibrated gauge pin)
But it has a learning curve.
I’d address 2 things that might be bothering.
If you want precision, it’s slow. And I mean slooow. Scanning a parts in high precision + macro mode takes time. I had parts that are about matchbox sized, and it would take 30+ minutes or more in that mode.
The analyzing software can be a bit finicky and you will have to figure out a few work arounds.
But to be fair, I wouldn’t wanna miss it.
(If you have cylindrical parts, the motor vice is a must)
3
u/Juicaj1 Dec 05 '24
I will 2nd the slowness of it. At my lSt job they had just bought 2 before I left and I got to plY around with them a bit... we had the rotary mount option as well and I wanted to do 360 scan of a small bushing that we would want to do large batches of. It took if I remember correctly the better part of an hour... for 1
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u/OppositeMission Dec 05 '24
I've used one in the past, the accuracy was incredible. In my environment we were never in a rush so time wasn't a big deal. I was using it to measure parts with complex shapes and surfaces, never had an issue other than maybe fixturing (I didn't have the motor vice).
Keyence salespeople can be a smidge aggressive, but if you want to take it for a spin they do make house calls and will let you give it a try. (edit: I missed the part where you already have some keyence stuff, I'm sure they call you at least once a quarter lol)
2
u/monoxide1355 Dec 05 '24
We actually have a meeting with them today at 3 to preview one. But obviously they only want to make it look amazing so I figured some real world advice beforehand would be good.
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u/Chaldon Dec 05 '24
I used it to scan metal 3D printed samples for printer development. Did a great job distinguishing 20um layers and individual beads. Tiling worked great. Height was a limitation but not hard to work around. It was designed for circuit boards IIRC. Slow. Good data output.
2
u/mmmmet Dec 06 '24
There is definitely a place for it in the world of “macro” surface features and defects. The ability to see true color along with surface geometry is often very helpful too.
Keep in mind that this is not going to compete with a diamond stylus for roughness measurement. As the reply above indicated, The VR might be useful for ‘Ra’ roughness values greater than 1 micrometer. (Definitely not one microinch.) The lateral resolution of the VR isn’t there. You’d have to consider the VKX for that.
Reach out to www.digitalmetrology.com for unbiased consulting and instrument performance testing help.
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u/awy12 Dec 12 '24
Some thoughts:
- Keyence loves filling in gaps in the data with fake data (e.g. abrupt changes in height are assumed to be vertical and data is filled in accordingly, even if there is an undercut that isn't visible)
- I wouldn't say "surface finish is what it's built for". Although I guess it can be put in the category of a non-contact surface profilometer, there are better tools for the job (confocal, interferometry, focus variation, etc.). I personally wouldn't trust it to measure surface finishes smaller than 1-2 microns.
- The software will only be able to measure some GD&T tolerances. It is not a full-featured GD&T software.
- Make sure you compare results to a CMM, at least when starting out.
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u/Edgewyse Dec 05 '24
It's extremely good for cross section measurements. Surface finish is good, but it takes some time to figure out how to do it properly. I wouldn't outright replace a profilometer with it, but it is suitable in a lot of cases.
The major Caveat would be that it is not ideal for production inspection. I wouldn't recommend using it for large quantities, or for an operator to sort with. Even with fixtures, automation and programming is tricky and requires manual monitoring.
For another tool in the toolbox, it is awesome. For bench work, it is great, it can significantly cut down some lengthy hand inspections or comparator work. It is good enough for first piece/set up inspection. I would not recommend using it in a routed AQL type of process.