Alignment checker
Alignment checkers are used for the exact alignment of guides on long machine beds (e.g. on transfer lines or processing machines ).
Structure of the measuring arrangement
To set up the measuring arrangement, a wire is attached to a headstock or a special holder and guided over a pulley (2.) at the end of the bed and tensioned with a weight (1.). The alignment checker is placed on a guide carriage or a corresponding device. The exact horizontal alignment of the alignment checker is done using a spirit level (5.) on the tube of the microscope. (4th microscope with sectional eyepiece, 6th measurement display)
Measurement of the alignment line
The machine slide or a similar device must be able to be moved in previously defined steps. At the beginning of the measurements, the wire is positioned so that it is visible in the field of view of the eyepiece, whereby the view is brought into focus by the vertically adjustable gear drive on the microscope stand.
The wire is now adjusted so that its cross- section in the eyepiece is congruent. A particular advantage of using an alignment tester: The cross-section of the wire is irrelevant in this process. Then the measuring microscope is placed on the opposite side of the machine guide. The view in the sectional view usually shows a clear deviation here. Here, too, the wire must be aligned so that it is aligned in the sectional view. If the slide is now moved, the deviations in the guide can be readjusted in the previously defined steps based on the sectional image in the eyepiece . In this way, a very exact alignment of the guide is guaranteed.
As an alternative to this, the deviations in the machine control can also be determined via the digital display connected to the linear measuring system of the testing device. If the cross-section of the wire in the eyepiece is not congruent, the measured value on the display is set to zero. By moving the testing device, the image of the wire is then brought into congruence in the sectional image, with the exact value of the deviation of the guide from the ideal straight line being read on the screen.