After decades of dominance, North American manufacturing was challenged as globalization subjected it to competition from countries whose factories benefited from cheaper labour fewer regulations. Automation along the production line was what helped factories here remain competitive, and one of the key tools for this was the coordinate measuring machine (CMM).

CMM machines are often used to automate quality control in factories around the continent, which makes them operate with significantly more efficiency. If you want to add another magnitude of efficiency to your operations, then buy one in the most optimal way possible: used, and from an authorized dealer.

Read on to see what this is the smartest way to buy a CMM machine.

Initial Calibration

CMM machines are depended on to perform quality control — they need to give precise and repeatable results, so it’s important that your CMM machine’s initial calibration is left to true professionals. It must be installed and calibrated correctly, as they’re sensitive machines that can’t simply be plugged in and turned on.

Authorized dealers don’t only offer the biggest selection of used CMM equipment and the best repairs; they are metrology specialists who have experience setting up CMM machines. This way, you know they’ll work to spec right from the get go.

Formal Assurances

When you buy used CMM machines from a dealer authorized by the Machinery Dealers National Associations (MDNA), it comes with formal assurances that you will never get when buying from auction or from an independent seller.

Authorized dealers respond accurately to all your inquiries about the machine, from its condition, specifications, and adherence to industry terms and definitions. If the machinery proves to be mechanically unsatisfactory, they will refund it or repair it at dealer’s option. This peace of mind buying used equipment is something you can only get from an authorized dealer.

Proper Inspections Diminish Risk

The odds are that you don’t know the ins and outs of a CMM machine — do you trust yourself, or the independent seller, to give it a proper inspection? You need to know what shape it’s in before you buy it.

Authorized dealers will always put the probes, drive systems, air lines, cabling and bearings through a thorough inspection before putting the equipment up for purchase. To add even more confidence, the industry leading dealers will promise you that the machine will work right to specification from the time you buy it, or they’ll fix it for you at no cost.

Expert Software Guidance

Sometimes the machine itself is only as good as the software inside it. Is this something you have in-depth knowledge about? What happens if you buy a used CMM machine, only to realize that the software it came with is obsolete, or at least not the one that’s most suited to your needs?

It’s essential to know what you’re getting at the time of purchase — if the software that comes with the machine isn’t ideal, authorized dealers can point you in the right software.

Just because CMM Machines save you money doesn’t mean you need to pay top dollar for them — buy your CMM machine prudently and economically, by purchasing it used from an authorized dealer.