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Coming together for greater accuracy
Scanditronix Magnet AB - Sweden
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Scanditronix Magnet AB in Vislanda, Sweden produces specialised coils and magnets with the highest accuracy and reliability. In the company’s large modern premises, approximately 30 employees develop and manufacture electromagnets for particle accelerators.
“Our company was formed in 1980, and the technique of manufacturing magnets is developing and refining all the time,” says Anton Ahl, Magnetic Engineer at Scanditronix. “The development is often based on advanced customer requirements and is done in close collaboration with qualified suppliers.”
A good example of this development was when Scanditronix Magnet was chosen as one of the two main suppliers of electromagnets for MAX IV, the world’s brightest synchrotron light system. Here, very specific customer requirements were set, and through close cooperation with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence the requirements for measurement accuracy could be met.
MAX IV Laboratory is a national research facility where electromagnets are used to create magnet segments that bend an electron beam to create a circular path. The rings give access to both soft and hard X-rays of very high quality, which means that it’s possible to produce images of very small items with a world-class resolution.
Previously, Scanditronix used a field measuring table with two linear axes to position the magnets when measuring magnetic fields, but with the MAX IV project they received new requirements for alignment of the magnets. The field measurement table could not be aligned against measured points on the magnets, and this resulted in the investment of a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) where the accuracy and alignment capability far exceeded the previous option.
The facility chose a GLOBAL Performance 12.30.10 CMM from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, which has an accuracy of a few μm and a measuring table big enough to hold the two-meter magnets. Scanditronix worked closely with Hexagon’s engineers to develop the measurement program that read currents and magnetic fields and that is connected to the PC-DMIS measuring software. This delivered a whole new dimension of alignment and positioning. The technical expertise within Hexagon was crucial when Scanditronix chose the supplier for its investment.
“Our company was formed in 1980, and the technique of manufacturing magnets is developing and refining all the time,” says Anton Ahl, Magnetic Engineer at Scanditronix. “The development is often based on advanced customer requirements and is done in close collaboration with qualified suppliers.”
Meeting new requirements at MAX IV
A good example of this development was when Scanditronix Magnet was chosen as one of the two main suppliers of electromagnets for MAX IV, the world’s brightest synchrotron light system. Here, very specific customer requirements were set, and through close cooperation with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence the requirements for measurement accuracy could be met.MAX IV Laboratory is a national research facility where electromagnets are used to create magnet segments that bend an electron beam to create a circular path. The rings give access to both soft and hard X-rays of very high quality, which means that it’s possible to produce images of very small items with a world-class resolution.
Previously, Scanditronix used a field measuring table with two linear axes to position the magnets when measuring magnetic fields, but with the MAX IV project they received new requirements for alignment of the magnets. The field measurement table could not be aligned against measured points on the magnets, and this resulted in the investment of a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) where the accuracy and alignment capability far exceeded the previous option.The facility chose a GLOBAL Performance 12.30.10 CMM from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, which has an accuracy of a few μm and a measuring table big enough to hold the two-meter magnets. Scanditronix worked closely with Hexagon’s engineers to develop the measurement program that read currents and magnetic fields and that is connected to the PC-DMIS measuring software. This delivered a whole new dimension of alignment and positioning. The technical expertise within Hexagon was crucial when Scanditronix chose the supplier for its investment.
Accuracy and alignment
Magnets that are to be mounted in an accelerator must be positioned with extremely high accuracy, and each position must be measured. For this, Scanditronix used the same coordinate system that was used in the manufacturing. “We can measure the magnet in the exact same coordinate system as the customer uses when installing it, so we eliminate one step with potential errors. As far as we know, we are the only ones who have this solution,” says Anton Ahl.We can measure the magnet in the exact same coordinate system as the customer uses when installing it, so we eliminate one step with potential errors. As far as we know, we are the only ones who have this solution.
