Strong focus on machine tool utilisation at WESTEC 2010

Ultra-compact touch probes with radio signal transmission
Renishaw will make waves at WESTEC with the introduction of new touch probe systems that use its unique frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) probe signal radio transmission technology to allow automated job set-up and in-process measurement on all sizes of CNC machine tools. The new ultra-compact RMP40 touch probe is especially suited to multi-axis and mill-turn applications, whilst its variant, the RLP40 touch probe, is specifically designed for more hostile turning environments.

New wireless ballbar with volumetric testing capability
Also on show at WESTEC will be the successor to Renishaw’s well established QC10 ballbar system, which has been adopted worldwide for the assessment of machine tool positioning and servo control performance. The QC20-W ballbar is a completely new design featuring a Renishaw developed linear sensor and Bluetooth® wireless technology, which also allows testing in 3 orthogonal planes through a single reference point. A single, simple hardware set up means quicker testing and the ability to produce a representative volumetric measurement of positioning accuracy.

True absolute optical encoder and 1 nm resolution incremental encoder
Renishaw’s new RESOLUTE™ absolute optical encoder system gives an astonishing market-leading resolution of just 1 nanometer at 100 metres per second for both linear encoder and angle encoder applications, yet still offers excellent dirt immunity. Absolute position is acquired immediately at system switch-on, so the exact orientation of axis and motor commutation angle are known without the need for a reference (datum) return. Large set-up tolerances also enable easy installation and high reliability, whilst low jitter and SDE (Sub-Divisional Error) meet the demands of high precision stages.

Visitors to WESTEC will also be able to see additions to the TONiC range of incremental optical linear and rotary encoders, including 1 nm and 2 nm resolutions, a dual output encoder interface, and compatibility with Renishaw’s Dual Signal Interface (DSi) for high accuracy angle encoding.