Buy measurement programs or write them yourself?
The question comes up in every measuring laboratory and every quality assurance department: write measurement programs in-house or buy them? There is no blanket answer. But there are criteria that let you work the question out for your own operation.
The starting point
In practice, in-house metrology swings between two states — both cost money, but in different ways.
The shortage of skilled staff intensifies both. Getting up to speed on a 3D measuring system takes a long time, and experienced metrologists are in high demand.
What in-house programming really costs
Anyone comparing costs usually counts only the programming time. Four further items decide the outcome:
What external programming delivers
No machine downtime. The program is created offline on the digital twin and only brought to the machine for commissioning. Measurement strategy, probing points and datum system have already been reviewed by then.
Conforming and traceable. The specification on the drawing is reviewed before programming. Anything not specified measurably comes to light before the program, not in the audit.
Based on effort. You are billed for the effort actually incurred. Where the need recurs, this can be agreed as a block of hours.
Transferable knowledge. The programs delivered are documented and legible. They can be maintained in-house and serve as a template for the next parts.
What the decision turns on
Five questions before you decide
- How many programs are created per year — and how are they spread across the months?
- What does an hour of machine time cost when it is occupied by programming?
- Who programs when that person is not available?
- Are the characteristics on the drawing specified unambiguously and measurably?
- From what volume does your own software pay for itself?
The answers lie in your own figures, not in a general rule. Once you have them together, the decision is usually clear.
