When it comes to dimensional quality and process control, there are places where it is natural to go to understand where the industry is going. One of these is definitely the ZEISS headquarters in Oberkochen, Germany, where a major European event dedicated to industrial metrology was held in January.
In the room, more than 300 people from leading European manufacturing companies. On stage, ZEISS brought its full capabilities to bear: 3D measurement systems, optical and X-ray solutions, analysis and automation software, and application cases covering virtually every industrial sector.
For Meccanostampi, being present was not only a moment of technological updating. It was, first of all, a way to give continuity to a precise choice: to entrust the measurement of our parts to internationally recognized instruments and methods. In other words: to build, every day, ZEISS-certified quality.
Zeiss and Meccanostampi: a common language, that of measurement
ZEISS is a global reference in industrial metrology: coordinate measuring systems, optical solutions, computed tomography, and software dedicated to quality control and data analysis. For those who, like us, work with precision engineering plastics destined for sectors such as automotive, electromechanical, electronics and home appliances, talking about quality means, inevitably, also talking about measurement.
At the Oberkochen event, the message was clear: metrology is no longer a “downstream” activity in the process, but a structural element of the way we design and manufacture.
This is the same approach that we are applying in Meccanostampi:
- Use advanced measurement tools to validate molds as early as the sampling stage
- Integrating controls into the production cycle, minimizing the distance between “printed part” and “approved part”
- Turn metrology data into useful information to improve molds, parameters and processes.
In this sense, the visit to Oberkochen was also a confirmation: the direction in which we are going-more data, more method, more control-is the right one.
Quality as a system: data, processes, people
One of the strongest messages from the ZEISS event was that metrology really works when it is embedded within a structured quality system. For Meccanostampi, this means aligning three levels:
- Tools
Analysis software, measurement program management systems: the technological basis for reading the part with the level of detail required by the most demanding industries. - Processes
Control plans, approval flows (from sampling to series), clear rules on what to measure, how often to measure, and with what acceptance criteria. This is where metrology connects to our integrated supply chain from design to finished product. - People
Metrology technicians, designers, process engineers, production operators: different figures who share the same language of quality. Measurement data do not remain numbers: they become tools for decision-making, correction, improvement.
From this perspective, IATF 16949 certification and system certifications (ISO 9001) are not separate elements, but the framework within which metrology finds full meaning. Geometric tolerances, measurement plans, and customer reports are the daily translation of these standards.
What we take home from Oberkochen
What is left, concretely, after two days spent on demos, workshops, and comparisons with other European companies?
- Confirmation that quality control and productivity are not in opposition: the solutions seen at the K Fair and the ZEISS event show how increasingly tight controls can coexist with rapid cycles and automated processes if designed from the start.
- The belief that evolution comes through increasingly connected metrology: integration with planning systems, direct connection with departments, use of data to fuel predictive maintenance and continuous improvement.
- The realization that the real value is not just in the machine, but in the relationship with the technology partner: discussion of application cases, support in setting up controls, the opportunity to grow together on complex projects.
For Meccanostampi, this translates into a simple message to customers: when we talk about dimensional quality, we are talking about a process embedded in a certified system and managed by people who know the value of every hundredth of a millimeter.
A look ahead: metrology as a lever for development
The Oberkochen event was not an end point, but a stage in a journey that has already begun. The directions on which we want to continue working are clear:
- Increase integration between measurement and design, to anticipate critical issues and optimize molds early in development
- Make the link between the metrology room and production departments ever closer, so that any significant deviation becomes immediate feedback to processes
- Use the data collected from the measures in a structured way to fuel statistical analysis, continuous improvement and investment decisions.
In other words: metrology is not just what certifies that a part is compliant. It is what allows us to make better parts tomorrow, with more stable processes, more predictable timescales, and quality that is not just stated, but demonstrable.
For us, it means exactly that: a daily commitment to measure, understand and improve.
This is how we want to continue to give shape and measure to our clients’ ideas.
