Parts Quality Testing
OPTICAL COMPARISON

The optical comparison process needs to be accurate for it to be useful for quality check. With that in mind, a magnifying glass and ruler will not be enough for inspection. So, an optical comparator will be more useful for the inspection for quality check. The optical comparator is a large device that works much like a microscope. It uses a lens to provide the user with a magnified view of the subject of interest, which in this case, is a manufactured metal part. This magnified view easily provides a more close up view of the metal part.

The optical comparator can come with either a vertical projector or a horizontal projector, depending on the type of metal part being inspected. The vertical projector has light flowing through the stage vertically, so the light flow is parallel to the plane of the screen. This projector type is good for small parts or flat parts like high quality precision metal shims. The horizontal projector has light flowing through horizontally, so the flow is perpendicular to the plane of the screen. This type of projection works better for larger parts or parts with more features than the vertical projector.

There are other features of the optical comparator that can be adjustable, making it useful for many different types of metal parts. The optical comparator can work with just one lens, but if needed, depending on the size of the metal part, multiple lenses can be inserted into the optical comparator for an even closer inspection of the metal part. There are a couple of accessories that can be used for the optical comparator such as a V-block part holder or a rotary table. These accessories can be added or removed from the optical comparator and can assist with holding the metal part in place and do a more precise job with inspection.