| HOME | CMM
PROBES AND STYLI |
CERTIFICATION MASTERS |
DOWNLOAD CATALOGS |
SEND ME
A CATALOG |
|||
Download new flyers: CMM Styli and Accessories | American Modular Tooling | AMT Kits | KOBA Guide |
|||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||
|
Probes Push CMMs Forward Posted on: 05/08/2003 (excerpted from Quality Magazine) Sidebar: Most CMM manufacturers have relied on an assortment of materials over the years and designed their products to work within the community to test the best possible. The criteria have always relied on accuracy, weight restrictions and durability. All CMM probing systems have a sensing device of one design or another, and nearly all have used the sphere for contact. The synthetic ruby, or Al2O3 monocrystalline, has proved to be the best suited material for hardness, form deviation and surface finish, becoming the standard. This material has been formed and reshaped into many configurations including cylinders and discs for application specific usage. The metallics, such as tungsten carbide, stainless steel and titanium, have proved to be useful in the choice of contact materials but the wear factor has always driven manufacturers back to the synthetics. Ceramics, polycrystalline and carbon fiber have proved to be the choice for controlling the weight factor. The search for new materials that can do all of the above better, faster and cheaper is on. The new kid on the block, silicon nitride, has some testing to do before it becomes a standard. It has a place in the contact issues when measuring surface materials of the alumina group, but for now it is still a cost issue for most. The newest technology has been in the selection of lightweight materials for extensions and styli shafts. For years it has been accepted that the threaded mounts and shank sections should be a combination of stainless steel and tungsten carbide. This is true in the small ball probes, and in many diameters it is the only possibility. The larger requirements can now use specialty aluminum composites and alloys that reduce weight and improve rigidity for minimal, if any, deflection. In summary, the probe stylus is the key component in the successful utilization of the CMM. The ease of availability and lowered costs during the past 20 years for this material has made it the top choice for CMM manufacturers worldwide. There are other methods including the noncontact devices, but none have endured the consistent reliability of the little ruby ball. —By Linda Marino, Paul W. Marino Gages Inc.
|
|
The contents of the web-site are copyrighted © 1998, 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007 by Paul W. Marino Gages, Inc. Reprint by permission only. Every effort has been made to insure the accuracy of this site. Paul W. Marino Gages, Inc. |
