Renishaw to focus on measurement 'thermal insensitivity' at Advanced Engineering 2014

The Renishaw Equator is a radical alternative to custom gauging, which is designed for shop floor inspection and is capable of high-speed accurate comparative gauging of high-volume manufactured parts. The system is ‘thermally insensitive' through its innovative re-mastering technique, which enables the system to work outside of temperature controlled rooms.

Equator has been conceived and developed by working closely with automotive, aerospace and medical gauging users, alongside their manufacturing machines. The result is a lightweight, fast and highly repeatable gauge that operators can use with ‘push-button' simplicity. Equator can switch between parts in seconds, perfect for flexible manufacturing processes or accepting parts from multiple machines.

Renishaw is the only UK's only manufacturer of an additive manufacturing machine that prints metal parts. These additive manufacturing systems utilise a pioneering process, which are capable of producing fully dense, complex parts from metal powders, including tool steel, aluminium, titanium and inconel. The laser melting technology involves fusing the metal powder using a high powered yterrbium fibre laser. The process is digitally driven, direct from 3D CAD data. On the Renishaw stand, visitors will be able to see a range of additively manufactured components, demonstrating the versatility of this groundbreaking technology.

Also on show will be Renishaw's PH20 5-axis system for co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs). Visitors to Advanced Engineering 2014 looking to improve their measurement speeds on CMMs will be able to see demonstrations of the PH20 on an Aberlink machine. PH20 increases touch-trigger CMM throughput up to three times, using fast, infinite, rotary positioning and unique "head touch" capability for high-speed point capture with minimal CMM movement. The PH20 uses 2-axes of head motion to minimise CMM movement and associated dynamic errors at higher measurement speeds. Its unique "inferred calibration" feature determines head orientation and probe position in a single operation, eliminating the need for calibration at each orientation.

Renishaw will also show a range of its machine tool calibration equipment, including the QC20-W wireless ballbar, and machine tool probing systems, including the new SPRINT™ system.

SPRINT is a game-changing contact scanning system for on-machine process control applications, which opens up completely new process control opportunities for high-value CNC machine tools. The SPRINT system incorporates a new generation of on-machine scanning technology that will deliver a step-change in the benefits of process control, enabling fast and accurate form and profile data capture from both prismatic and complex 3D components.

For blade manufacture, the SPRINT system provides unprecedented capability for blade tip refurbishment and root blending applications. For multi-task machining applications, the SPRINT machine tool scanning system offers users completely new process control capabilities, including exceptionally repeatable diameter measurement cycles.