Vancouver Gear Works in Richmond, British Columbia has purchased what is believed to be North America’s largest gear measuring machine from the Wenzel GearTech Division of Wenzel/Xspect Solutions. The machine, a model LHF CMM 20.60.20, is slated for delivery in March.
The traveling bridge-type measuring machine features a 19.686 × 9.84 × 6.56-ft (6 × 3 × 2-m) measuring range that can inspect gears as large as 9.84 ft (3 m) in diameter as well as other large housings and components. The machine has two 3-m measuring zones, one of which is equipped with a 3.28-ft (1,000 mm) hydrostatic rotary table that can accommodate gears as heavy as 30,000 lbs. The other incorporates a cast iron surface plate for traditional prismatic inspection of housings and other large components.
Founded in 1952, Vancouver Gear Works is a third-generation, family-owned manufacturer of hardened, precision-ground gears and other such products. During the past several years, it has increasingly focused on serving the energy industry, which often requires large gears and corresponding parts for windmill construction and other such projects. The company purchased the machine at IMTS 2008 based on a recommendation from Great Lakes Gear Technology, a Canton, Michigan based company that recently entered into a sales partnership with Wenzel/Xspect.
