A U.S. Navy aviation depot in North Carolina has purchased equipment designed to help technical personnel obtain more detailed and accurate measurements of individual aircraft components.
The Fleet Readiness Center East's Precision Measurement Center has a new optical comparator and laser tracking system that mechanical engineering technicians use to assess aircraft parts and support fixtures, Naval Air Systems Command said Thursday.
The comparator is built to generate two-dimensional images of small hardware and allows users to conduct inspections without making contact with the object.
Meanwhile, the laser tracker works to emit beams to an object's mounted reflector for calculating dimensions to perform tasks such as fixture calibration and weapon system alignment.
NAVAIR noted that new machines at the center require only one operator compared with legacy equipment.