Innovation for Machinery (I4M)

M. Thornton Engineering

There are a number of components required by an OEM that M. Thornton Engineering Ltd. are manufacturing. This work provides a possible regular work stream that will only increase on the success of the OEM and the ability for M. Thornton Engineering Ltd. to continue to supply the required components to the required quality. Process development is required but the technological challenges revolve around the unique geometry of the build plates and the associated GD&T characteristics. Our existing method uses multiple steps with a lot of manual and skilled intervention. The quality is high, but there is no analysis of the uncertainty. We do not have the knowledge in-house to investigate alternative semi-automated or fully automated routines, with their associated uncertainty analysis. 

With the OEM supplying machines tools globally, the potential for growth in this market is very strong, including the potential to expand to other OEMs and future investment in machine tools and personnel for M. Thornton Engineering is highly possible. But the challenges we describe need to be solved to facilitate this. 

Having the confidence and the efficiency in the inspection method and verification to the drawing and component requirements will ensure that components are produced and sold with assurances. M. Thornton Engineering Limited will be able to market themselves as a supplier, with reference from their OEM customer, to demonstrate the level of skill and competence in the company that is currently regularly demonstrated through their large work sources and apprentice training program. The company uses the apprentice program to grow the business with all staff training to the required skills to be competitive in the identified current and future markets. Further securing the employment of current staff and allowing for continued growth with new requirements, if required or planned. 

There may be a need for investment in equipment for the verification process agreed upon from the project and further investment in manufacturing equipment if production requirements at the company increase due to the many factors involved with this project and other work sources. 

Find out more about Thornton Engineering.

Cubit Precision Measurement

This project aims to integrate an advanced surface texture metrology system with a robotic platform operating directly alongside CNC machine tools. The proposed solution enables on-machine and online metrology, allowing surface quality inspection to be performed immediately after machining, or selectively during production, without removing the component or interrupting workflow. 

The key industrial challenge addressed is that surface quality certification remains predominantly offline, manual, and sample-based, despite increasing demands for traceability, zero-defect manufacturing and shortened production cycles. Existing laboratory-based metrology is costly, time-consuming, and impractical for certifying every part, particularly in high-mix, low-volume or complex-geometry manufacturing. This creates a critical gap between machining capability and quality assurance. 

The proposed innovation lies in self-certification: measured areal surface texture data is automatically evaluated against predefined tolerances, functional requirements, and digital quality rules. Each component can therefore be digitally certified at the point of manufacture, removing inspection bottlenecks and enabling real-time quality assurance. 

By mounting the metrology system on a robotic arm, the framework provides flexible access to freeform and hard-to-reach surfaces. Adaptive path planning and autofocus strategies mitigate robotic repeatability limitations and shop-floor environmental disturbances - key barriers that currently prevent conventional optical metrology from being deployed in production environments. 

Cubit Precision Measurement will supply a focus-variation-based areal surface metrology system capable of sub-micrometre measurement accuracy, while tolerating robotic positioning uncertainty. The measured surface parameters can be used as feedback to inform machining optimisation, closing the loop between manufacturing and inspection. 

The market opportunity lies in enabling OEM machine tool builders, integrators, and high-value manufacturers to upgrade conventional equipment into smart, self-certifying systems without significantly redesigning machine hardware. This creates a scalable, technology-agnostic pathway toward autonomous manufacturing and digitally traceable production. 

Find out more about cubit measurement.