AUKOM 1 – An Entirely New Experience
ZEISS has been offering the AUKOM training course for 15 years. AUKOM is the German abbreviation for "coordinate measuring technology training".
Now it was my turn. On this particular morning, I didn't head to my desk like I usually do. Instead, it was the first day of my AUKOM training course in Oberkochen. For the next week I'd be learning metrology basics. This was all brand new to me. I work as a content manager in Marketing, where we normally deal with click-rates, microsites and conversion. However, over the next five days I would be confronted with dimensional tolerancing, measurement planning and probing strategies – quite a change of pace.
AUKOM 1 – The basics
Things got going at 10 a.m. Everyone participating in the course met at the ZEISS Industrial Metrology Demo Center. First, the Head of the ZEISS Metrology Academy divided us into groups. I was assigned to the AUKOM 1 group focusing on metrology basics. Christian, our instructor, was friendly and outgoing, which created a relaxed atmosphere from the very beginning. We went around the room and everyone introduced themselves. Each person had had very different experiences with measuring technology, and we all came from various industries and regions in Germany. Moreover, we all worked with measuring machines from different manufacturers – AUKOM offers trainings that are not vendor specific.
My worst enemy: the slide gage
Then we got to work, and everyone received a massive binder filled with documents. I panicked briefly, but then I realised that half of the pages were exercises. The agenda for the first day included measurement variables, Taylor's Principle and different coordinate systems. The right-hand and right-thumb rules were particularly important. As a beginner, these mnemonic devices made life using measuring technology easier for me. Much to my surprise, time flew by. Maybe it was a consequence of the numerous practice exercises we did in between different units. These helped me better understand the different topics – most of the time, anyway. But there was one seemingly simple problem that I just couldn't solve: how to correctly read the measurement gage. However, I got the direction of rotation (positive or negative) of the coordinate axes right straightaway.
The world of measuring technology – all within a week
The next three days were a bit strenuous as we worked our way through a total of 14 modules. Many were very theoretical (e.g. Abbe's comparator principle), while others were a bit more practice-oriented (e.g. workpiece alignment). Those participants with more experience already knew a few things from their daily work. The topics covered the entire measuring process, from selecting the right sensors to qualification and evaluating the measurement data. And we didn't just focus on contact measuring technology: optical measuring methods were also part of the training course, which was uncharted territory for many course participants.
The big day: the AUKOM 1 test
Everyone, from the experienced measuring technicians to the beginners in our group, was a bit nervous before the test on Friday. Our instructor tried to calm our nerves and explained that, as long as we'd paid attention during the week, we shouldn't have any problems with the test. Looking at the 10-page exam in front of me, I briefly got a bit worried... until I'd quickly completed the first tasks. The rest of the questions, most of which were multiple choice, were easy to do. After 30 minutes – just half of the allotted test time – I submitted my exam. Then we all waited together for the results – I felt just like I did when taking my driver's test. After what seemed like an eternity, our course instructor came out and announced: "Everything's fine! You all passed!"
Lesson learned: the measuring technician makes all the difference!
Thanks to AUKOM 1, I'm now familiar with measuring technology basics, can calculate length measurement errors and draw circumscribed circles. There were times that I felt like I was back sitting in my high school math and physics classes. The big difference: today I can apply what I've learned directly to my day-to-day work.
The instructor gave us the most important piece of information at the end of the course, explaining that a measuring technician can measure good parts badly and bad parts well. "The measuring technician makes all the difference!" – My coursemates and I will be sure to keep that in mind.
About AUKOM:
AUKOM e.V. is a non-profit association founded in 2001. It offers training courses in all areas of coordinate measuring technology and has since become the industry standard in Germany. In addition to the three basic courses AUKOM 1, 2 and 3, there are also AUKOM CT, AUKOM Form & Position and the AUKOM Management Workshop.
The ZEISS Metrology Academy performs all AUKOM training courses (exception: CT) at company headquarters in Oberkochen or directly on the customer's premises.