Why would anyone start a new metrology business in this economic climate? Why would they do it in Michigan, the epicenter of the automotive industry recession? The short answer is that if you can identify a clear need in the marketplace for your product and have the ability and expertise to bring it to market, then the risk is minimal, manageable, and worth it. That was the thinking that lead FixLogix, an Olivet-based CMM fixture manufacturer, to develop and market a new product in the middle of a recession.

Modular-fixture systems for coordinate measuring machines (CMM) were introduced in the late 1980’s. Since then, there have been tremendous advances in CMM technology. Advances in computer systems and software led to the development of new machine designs. Software-based 3-D error compensation allowed for simpler, less expensive machine structures. Graphical user interfaces simplified software-based alignments, reducing the need to square the work-piece up to the machine axis. Meanwhile, modular fixture systems for CMMs remained relatively unchanged, based on the obsolete concept of building the holding fixture to gauge tolerances. As time went on, and CMM prices declined, the cost of a modular fixture system became a much greater percentage of the total solution.

 …