Enhanced CMM doubles temperature range

IT is not uncommon for the temperatures in production areas to exceed 30 degrees C even in moderate climates, says Johannes Mohrle, Product Manager at ZEISS. Heat and temperature fluctuations can impair the accuracy of measuring machines, quality assurance is faced with additional challenges.

Improving air conditioning is one solution, but operating and maintaining such systems is expensive. Mohrle shares that this is what led the company to enhance its ZEISS DuraMax HTG compact coordinate measuring machine.

The DuraMax works as reliably as before at a temperature range that has more than doubled: s able to not only increase the temperature range at which this machine can achieve this high accuracZEISS DuraMax High Temperature & Gradients (HTG) delivers accuracy down to 3.2 microns at ambient temperatures of 15-40 degrees C. ZEISS way, it also lifted the maximum permissible fluctuations over an hour and over a day. The measuring machine now operates flawlessly under temperature changes up to 50 percent per hour and 100 percent per day without compromising the measurement quality.

Measuring results
This high precision was made possible even at these temperatures and fluctuations by the use of new, high-quality components. Developers insulated the Z axis of the machine with a hood. To further reduce the influence of temperatures, they equipped the basic body of the measuring machine with a reflecting stainless steel cover and special insulation.

"The greater temperature resistance means a clear reduction of operating costs compared to air conditioning or a measuring lab near production – all this with more reliable measured values," summarizes Mohrle.