Affordable ‘pay-as-you-go’ machine tool probe system brings high-end manufacturing within reach of every company.

Renishaw, a market leading engineering technologies company, introduces the Renishaw Primo system at CIMT 2015, Beijing, China. This market development opens up high-value manufacturing to companies of all sizes. Machine tool probes are the foundation of precision manufacturing. Now, through a combination of minimal upfront costs, a free, comprehensive training package, and immediate parts replacement in a unique ‘pay-as-you-go’ model, the Renishaw Primo system represents a significant step forward in the way that machine tool probes can be introduced.

In factories across the globe, demand is growing for higher precision in manufacturing to ever greater tolerances – many manufacturers work to tolerances of less than 100 microns (the width of a human hair). Machine tool probes play a vital role in enabling manufacturing companies to meet these exacting specifications at each stage of the machining process: before, during and after cutting. Jean-Marc Meffre, President – Far East, Renishaw, said: “Amid rising wages, skills shortages and fierce global competition, the move to high-value manufacturing has become an economic imperative for many companies and countries. Precision measurement and machine tool probes are key to achieving the level of quality required to compete.”

Mr Meffre continued: “Our research showed that customer concerns, including investment cost, ease of-use and durability, have held some companies back from using probes. Our response is the Renishaw Primo system, a truly innovative approach that addresses each of these concerns. With a low initial cost, free training kit and immediate parts replacement, the Primo system now enables every manufacturer in Asia to grasp the opportunities of high-value manufacturing.

The latest pioneering initiative from Renishaw and a first for the industry, the Primo system offers users all of the advantages of automated setting at a very affordable price. The twin-probe system comprises the Primo Radio Part Setter, Primo Radio 3D Tool Setter and Primo Interface. The Primo Radio Part Setter accurately locates a workpiece prior to machining and the Primo Radio 3D Tool Setter measures the length and diameter of cutting tools. The Primo system has three additional key elements: Renishaw Primo Credit Token, Primo Total Protect and GoProbe software.

Renishaw Primo Credit Tokens enable the ‘pay-as-you-go’ solution which makes the Primo system unique and ensures an affordable initial investment, attractive overall purchase price and fast payback. Users buy a six-month credit token which enables unlimited use of the Primo machine tool probe system during that period. Once the credit expires, users can simply purchase an additional credit token to extend system usage by another six months. New credit can be inserted at any time and will be added to the remaining credit. An upgrade credit token is also available to provide unrestricted continuous use.

Registration of a valid credit token activates Primo Total Protect, which provides cover against accidental probe damage. If any hardware element of the system is damaged, Renishaw will replace it free of charge. Primo Total Protect provides the same level of coverage experienced by long-term contracted customers of more sophisticated systems. Finally, the GoProbe software and supporting training kit makes these already easy-to-use machine tool probes even simpler. A comprehensive self-study package with a range of training tools and modules guides users through everything they need to get the most out of the Renishaw Primo system.

Renishaw is highlighting a developing family of high performance hardware and software products for co-ordinate measuring machines that are specifically designed to aid the measurement and manufacturing of aerospace blades.

All products complement the multi-award winning REVO® 5-axis measurement system and include APEXBlade planning software for REVO sweep scanning and DMIS programming, MODUS airfoil analysis for the calculation and reporting of blade section profile and airfoil characteristics, and SurfitBlade to aid reverse engineering of the complete airfoil.

Historically blades have been measured in sections due to the limitations of measurement techniques. Now, the new family of Renishaw products enables the whole blade to be inspected quickly and accurately allowing unlimited section or full surface analysis based on high precision contact probe data.

APEXBlade is a software package designed to quickly generate collision free programs that drive the REVO measurement system to carry out complex ‘sweep scans’ that will collect point cloud data from across the complete blade surface. The CAD model is imported into the virtual REVO CMM environment prior to the automatic generation of the measurement plan. Both transverse and longitudinal scans are supported and each sweep can be split, which is useful for edges where the actual position is expected to be significantly different from the nominal CAD. Once the user is happy with the program, a DMIS file is generated that can be executed within Renishaw’s MODUS metrology software.

REVO blisk CAD fadeA key advantage of the new Renishaw approach to blade measurement is that a cloud of tip centre data points is generated over the entire airfoil and root surfaces. The MODUS point cloud sectioning (MPCS) functionality then allows ‘on surface’ sections to be constructed by intersecting any defined plane with the captured point cloud. This can be carried out at the time of measurement, or in the future if further sections at different locations are required, without the need for re-measurement of the blade.

The MODUS airfoil module then allows the user to take the nominal aerofoil sections available from the CAD model and the actual sections from the MPCS to provide blade fitting functionality for the reporting of blade section profile and aerofoil characteristics. MODUS offers comprehensive graphical reporting tools and the profile measurement results, which are fully integrated with all other feature measurement reports, can be output in pdf file format.

Integrated bladed rotor montageFor users requiring a reverse engineering capability, Renishaw’s SurfitBlade software is an offline application used to generate NURBS blade surface forms for use in downstream processes such as computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis. It also allows average blade geometry to be established from a series of blade results.

In summary, the Renishaw airfoil inspection suite provides automatic generation of the CMM program, rapid, high accuracy REVO data collection and comprehensive tools for cross section or full surface analysis.

Renishaw has further extended its solutions for checking the alignment and positioning performance of machine tool rotary axes with the launch of new off axis rotary software for its XR20-W rotary axis calibrator.

The new software for the highly successful XR20-W now allows it to be used to measure the rotary positioning accuracy of an axis on many configurations of five axis machine tools, where the XR20-W often cannot be mounted on the centre of rotation. Together with Renishaw’s existing AxiSet Check-Up system, which provides machine users with a fast and accurate health check of rotary axis and pivot points, users now have comprehensive tools to identify errors with their rotary axes.

XR20-W for use ‘off axis’
XR20-W rotary axis calibrator off axisThe XR20-W rotary axis calibrator combines with Renishaw’s XL-80 laser interferometer to allow rotary axis positioning performance to be measured with ± 1 arc sec accuracy. With the new “off axis” test capability, users can now test more types of machine tools than was previously possible with XR20-W, giving a better return on investment and, in the case of service companies, offering a more attractive service to their customers.

The method for off axis measurement works by synchronising movement of rotary and linear axes so that the XL-80’s laser beam is kept aligned throughout the test. Because the linear axis is moving, the measurements made by the XR20-W may include additional angular errors (e.g. pitch) from the linear axis. These contributory angular errors are then measured separately (using the XL-80 laser and angular optics) and removed from the initial rotary axis results. The end result is a set of data reflecting only the errors from the rotary axis itself.

The Off axis rotary software is provided as an extra cost option for XR20-W and includes a suite of software utilities, part program generators and an electronic format manual. The manual details all the requirements for the mounting set-up and associated custom hardware manufacture.

AxiSet Check-up
AxiSet Check-UpKey to precision machining is the ability to understand the location of the centres of rotations of the rotary axes relative to the machine’s linear axes. Without accurate data about these ‘pivot points’, a machine’s controller will be unable to reliably control the relative positions of the tool and the component as the rotary axes are moving, leading to inconsistent machining results.

Renishaw’s AxiSet Check-up provides accurate and repeatable results using automated probing routines to gather performance data from a reference artefact, and includes simple yet powerful analysis. Alignment and positioning performance checks are carried out rapidly to benchmark and monitor complex machines over time. All tests utilise existing spindle-mounted Renishaw touch probes, which are standard option on most multi-axis machines, with probing routines generated using machine-specific macro software supplied with Check-up. To ensure the highest accuracy, the use of OMP400 or RMP600 touch probes with patented Rengage strain gauge technology is recommended.

Set-up is fast and simple. To perform the test a user quickly locates a supplied calibration sphere within the machine tool’s working envelope using a magnetic mount. Using the supplied custom macro software, a touch probe is then programmed to automatically take reference measurements around the sphere.

Measurement results from the test are output to a PC and presented in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, enabling easy to understand analysis of data in different formats. These include a graphical representation of performance that highlights tracking and centring errors, a function that compares two sets of data from the same machine, a simple ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ test against the user’s pre-defined tolerances, and a history screen that allows comparisons of the performance of rotary axes over time.

Other checks and tests
To ensure the optimum analysis of rotary axis performance using Check-Up, it is important that machine’s standard three linear axes are also performing within specification. This should be determined and corrected if necessary using Renishaw’s XL-80 laser calibration system, and then regularly checked using a Renishaw QC20-W ballbar. Together with the XR20-W rotary axis calibrator and AxiSet Check-up these powerful performance testing products combine to ensure the highest quality parts can be consistently produced by five axis machining centres and multi-tasking machines.

This portfolio of products provides an unparalleled machine diagnostic solution, targeted at removing variation from the machining process, helping to maximise productive metal cutting.

Launched in November 2009, Renishaw’s QC20-W telescoping ballbar which incorporates Bluetooth® wireless technology has had a significant impact on CNC machine testing around the world. Many customers have found that the new QC20-W ballbar offers significant advantages over Renishaw’s QC10 product, which was for many years the industry standard test for machine tool performance.

One of the very first customers for QC20-W was NC Service, a Swedish machine tool service and maintenance company, who work with many important CNC machine users. Speaking recently about his experiences of the new system, Peter Jönsson, Managing Director of NC Service, said that, “since switching over to QC20-W ballbar the setup-time has been greatly reduced, speeding up our operations. We no longer have trouble with the cable anymore which ensures a safer operation as we can operate the test from outside the closed safety doors”.

At the time of purchasing the QC20-W ballbar, Peter Jönsson remarked how much he was looking forward to using the ‘volumetric analysis’ function and he confirms that NC Service is now utilising this functionality in most of their testing. He also explained that “Ballbar20 software is very easy-to-use and my operators found the transition to the new software very smooth due to its similarity with the QC10 software”.

UK-based service and maintenance provider, Dave Wigmore of Wigmore CNC, is also impressed with the new ballbar system. “As a CNC maintenance service provider, the ballbar is considered crucial to machine tool servicing. The QC20-W data is analysed by the software to find machine errors that would normally go undetected, such as the loss of ballscrew preload, and therefore gives you the option of a repair instead of a costly ballscrew at a later date. If you are serious about CNC machine tool maintenance then using QC20-W ballbar is a major tool in machine tool servicing, helping to foresee costly major repairs that can be avoided with corrective maintenance.”

A key feature of QC20-W is the use of Bluetooth® wireless technology which allows simplified and consistent ballbar testing in 3 orthogonal planes. A single, simple hardware set up gives quicker testing and the ability to produce a representative volumetric measurement of positioning accuracy. As always Renishaw’s ballbar enables the user to quickly diagnose and quantify machine positioning errors and give an overall ‘circularity’ error value as per ISO and other standards. Language support is currently being extended to cover, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Swedish and Hungarian; a demonstration of QC20-W’s worldwide appeal.

Both software and key hardware features ensure backward compatibility for the thousands of QC10 system users worldwide by providing stress free upgrades and minimising the costs of moving to the new system, or working alongside existing QC10 systems. Renishaw offers an exchange QC20-W upgrade kit to QC10 ballbar users at a very competitive price. The upgrade kit is supplied as standard with an insert for fitting into the current QC10 case, with options for a new system case and for carrying out the new 3 plane testing.

Additional product testimonials have also been received from satisfied customers:

“The new QC20-W wireless ballbar allows me to rapidly assess the volumetric performance of a machine, without compromising safe working practices. As the only AS 9100 certified company in the USA for on-site laser alignment, laser interferometry and calibration of machine tools services, we are committed to using only the best equipment available. I cannot imagine trying to do my job without QC20-W” – Michael Schraufnagel, Owner and Chief Technician, Quality Tech Services, Georgia, USA (service and maintenance provider)

When I asked my maintenance team and production engineers what they thought of their new QC20-W ballbar, they replied “QC20-W wireless ballbar is simple to use and always gives straight forward no nonsense results. Just Brilliant” – John Curtis, Assistant Maintenance Manager, Spirax Sarco, UK (manufacturer industrial plant)

“The QC10 ballbar has been an invaluable tool in assessing a machine’s condition and has become the corner pin in our service and quality program. The cordless feature of the QC20 and its improved test features has not only made the instrument easier to use but also safer” – Robert Monkhouse, Machine Shop Maintenance Engineer, Sandvik Medical Solutions, UK (manufacturer medical products)

“I am so happy that the cable is not there anymore. From a safety point of view, not climbing into the machine is much better and not having to move the PC about when testing a CNC machine with a length over 11 metres is also a big advantage. This is down to the wireless communications which works perfectly” – Roelof Domine, Maintenance Engineer, Fokker Aerostructures BV, Netherlands (airframe manufacturer)

“Having used a QC10 ballbar for over 10 years, when it failed we asked Renishaw for a repair but we were pleased to find that the price of an upgrade to QC20-W was only slightly higher than the repair so we decided to invest in new technology. Our first experience with QC20-W ballbar exceeded all our expectations. QC20-W ballbar is easy to use and set up is quick and seamless as well. We no longer have problems with the cable wrapping. Our safety officer is also very happy as we are now able to perform measurements with the machine doors closed” – Mr Tomas Sykora, Maintenance Engineer, Knorr-Bremse Systémy pro užitková vozidla, CR, s.r.o, Czech Republic (truck brake systems manufacturer)

“At PAMA we build very large machine tools. The wireless operation of our new QC20-W ballbars allows the operator to run tests standing by the controller keyboard, making operation easier and safer” – Maurizio Chini, PAMA SpA, Quality and Test Manager, Italy (machine tool OEM).