Renishaw, the global engineering technologies company, will present its range of advanced encoder products at Precisiebeurs 2014 from November 12-13 in the NH Conference Centre Koningshof, Veldhoven, the Netherlands.

Visitors to stand 164 will see the latest ATOM miniature encoder, an innovative optical linear and rotary (angle) incremental encoder system that uniquely combines miniaturisation with unrivalled metrology performance. This is the first miniature encoder to use optical filtering principles and combines Renishaw’s proven filtering optics with Auto Gain Control (AGC) and Auto Offset Control (AOC) for exceptional dirt immunity and the highest signal stability.

The ATOM readhead provides class-leading accuracy with low Sub-Divisional Error (SDE), low jitter, excellent signal stability and long-term reliability. It also includes a set-up LED to allow quick and easy installation and an auto-calibration routine to enable faster optimisation. ATOM offers speeds of up to 20 m/s (29 000 RPM on a 17 mm disc) and resolutions to 1 nm (0.004 arc second on a 108 mm disc). Customers can choose from a range of high-accuracy scales: stainless steel tape to 10 m in length, glass spars to 130 mm and rotary glass discs from 17 mm to 108 mm in diameter. Custom scale lengths and disc diameters are also available on request.

The ultra-compact ATOM readhead is supplied in hi-flex cable and Flexible-Printed Circuit (FPC) output variants with both 20 µm and 40 µm scale options. The side-exit FPC version reduces the overall package size and allows integration with PCBs. ATOM is ideally suited to a variety of space-critical motion control, inspection and metrology applications; talk to stand representatives for more information.

ATOM is joined by Renishaw’s RLE laser interferometer system, which is specifically designed for high-precision position feedback applications. Each system consists of an RLU laser unit and one or two RLD10 detector heads, which can be selected from a range of six different types for maximum application flexibility. Benefits of the RLE system include fibre-optic laser launch, integrated interferometer optics and beam steerers, the removal of thermal error sources, less than ± 1 nm SDE and ease of use when compared with conventional laser systems. RLE provides the user with sub-nanometre resolution capability at velocities of up to 2 m/s for axis lengths of up to 4 m.

The co-founders of global engineering company Renishaw plc, Sir David McMurtry and John Deer, have been honoured with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Gloucester Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo Business Awards.

The award recognises individuals who have made a considerable, profitable and lasting contribution to business in Gloucestershire over a period of at least 20 years.

Stuart Barnes, director of award sponsor QuoLux, said, “I am delighted to announce that the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award has been given jointly to two men whose leadership, vision, skill, entrepreneurial spirit and determination led to the founding of Renishaw-one of Gloucestershire’s most outstanding success stories.

He continued, “Now Renishaw employ 2,000 people in the county and has 110 current apprentices and recruited 68 graduates this year. They are quite literally at the cutting edge of new technology, a global player whose expertise ranges from the latest 3D printing to providing the technology to help enable life-enhancing surgery.”

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire about the award, John Deer said, “It’s quite fantastic; a real honour”, whilst Sir David noted that although a lifetime award has a “degree of finality” he felt that “there is plenty of life in the old dogs yet!”

Renishaw was formed in April 1973 and although today it employs 3,600 people in 32 countries, for the first three years it was based at John Deer’s home in Chepstow, Wales, where the dining room was the office, the garage was the machine shop and assembly took place in the spare bedroom.

Ben Taylor, Renishaw’s Assistant Chief Executive, says, “We feel extremely proud of Sir David and John, who are modest men that have created a highly successful global company based on their founding principles of innovation, high quality manufacturing and excellent customer support. The standing ovation that they received from the 750 people present at the awards spoke volumes for what they have achieved over the past 40 years.”