hexagon logo
Register Sign in
  • Replies 13 replies
  • Subscribers 223 subscribers
  • Views 162 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related

Transporting bridge CMM via international Air freight

louisd
My company wants to move an installed Zeiss CMM from France to Arizona, (~6000 miles) quickly. They are discussing air freight.
Does anyone have firsthand experience with air-freighting a CMM?

The hairs on my neck stood up when it was mentioned, it sounds so high risk.
  • Think they should sell the French CMM and use the money as a down payment for a local machine. I'd be willing to bet the French CMM is probably not configured in an ideal way. Too big, wrong sensor or something along those lines. Are French and US electrical standards compatible?
  • My company wants to move an installed Zeiss CMM from France to Arizona, (~6000 miles) quickly. They are discussing air freight.
    Does anyone have firsthand experience with air-freighting a CMM?

    The hairs on my neck stood up when it was mentioned, it sounds so high risk.

    If it's rigged properly it should be okay, I personally would prefer air freight. We had a used Global S 7-10-7 shipped from North Carolina to New Zealand ( 8500+ miles) sea freight. Somewhere in transit the whole crate got crushed breaking off the bracket holding up Z column. Then all the tiedowns came loose allowing the the whole machine slide around inside the crate. That was fun to get it going again without Hexagon support in the country Wink
    Attached Files
  • in reply to kingsld1
    Good points. Electrical standards aren't compatible without expensive adapters.
  • Way, way back when I first joined Hexagon, I heard a story about us trying to fly a machine into the UK from the US. Apparently the cargo handlers at Heathrow didn't have right equipment or expertise to unload it and managed to drop the crate off the back of the plane. Hopefully things have improved since then.
  • in reply to kingsld1
    the only possible difference is 120vAC single phase or 220vAC dual phase, of which, you just drop a dedicated 220v line into the room, and change the plug configuration at the controller. We actually had a 220v DEA on site for ~20 years. it was 220vAC and we had a 120v-supplied power transformer/Battery backup doing the upconverting for us without the need for a dedicated 220v drop.
  • Sounds like a bad idea if you ask me... but what do i know
  • in reply to Jeeper
    Thank you for the story & pictures. The damage looks pretty minimal, seems like you guys really lucked out! So Hexagon ordered new bridge hardware and faring's, then I'm presuming they re-calibrated via a volumetric laser map?
  • Air freight is a bit of a scary idea. A CMM is a monster of a machine and most air freight isn't ready for that kind of load. Is there a reason they don't want to use a ship? Another thing is that you need to have the OEM prepare the machine for shipping. They are going to know exactly what to do, and have all the proper brackets and supplies for it. Not using the OEM to prepare the machine is a disaster waiting to happen regardless of the method of shipping.

    Edit: I finally reread and saw that you want it quick. Biggest piece of advice to follow is have Zeiss pack it up, as long as the air freight company understands the weight you should be okay if Zeiss does the packing job.
  • in reply to Jeeper
    A good case for having the OEM always pack your machines for shipping.
  • in reply to kingsld1
    Pretty sure most CMM these days have switching power supplies. The electrical label should show what voltages it works on and most likely it will be something like 100-270vac but definitely something that should be investigated before plugging it in.
© 2024 Hexagon AB and/or its subsidiaries. Privacy Policy | Cloud Services Agreement