cmm rotary table brands

Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) play a vital part in precision engineering and quality control in the aerospace industry. Indeed, the global dimensional metrology market in the aerospace industry generated $482.9 million in 2012, with the CMM segment expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.0% by 2017 according to some commentators.

It’s no secret that all major aerospace manufacturers use CMM machines, sometimes as intensely as 16 hours a day, to measure the physical geometrical characteristics of aerospace components. But what is less well known is that using a rotary table on a CMM machine will help it work smarter.

So what’s the benefit of using a rotary table on a CMM machine? According to Jim Palmer from RPI, a leader in rotational innovation, the answer is simple:

“When it comes to measuring symmetrical or prismatic components, it’s all about simplifying your measuring procedures, increasing your CMM’s application range and effective measuring volume which in turn will increase the flexibility, productivity and efficiency of your CMM.”

Matt Brady at Nikon Metrology UK agrees that rotary tables bring significant benefits to CMM machines. Nikon, whose range of coordinate measuring machines represent the ultimate in CMM technology, is a longstanding customer of RPI and has been fitting RPI’s rotary tables to its CMM machines for decades.

Commenting on RPI’s rotary tables, Brady said: “We supply CMMs to aerospace customers all over the world and many of our customers say that using RPI rotary tables significantly reduce inspection time. Indeed, one such customer reduced inspection times by four hours, a saving of 40% by using a CMM machine fitted with an RPI rotary table.

Rotary tables are therefore an ideal addition to CMM machines - particularly for measuring complex parts such as rotor discs. For example, using a rotary table on a CMM machine will improve process efficiency and productivity by reducing set up and process times. A rotary table will also greatly increase a CMM machine’s available measuring volume thereby providing greater flexibility in what can be measured. And last, but by no means least; a rotary table will also significantly improve overall measurement accuracy of a CMM machine thereby reducing uncertainty.

Bath-based RPI has a very large share of the market in those CMMs which use rotary tables and can boast more than 500 successful installations worldwide. RPI grew out of acquisitions from Airmatic, Optical Measuring Tools, and Eimeldingen. Since the 1950s it has been one of the world’s largest designers and manufacturers of precision rotary tables and a leading supplier of rotary tables to the aerospace, automotive, power generation, machine tool, scientific and general engineering industries.

RPI’s rotary tables are widely used by all leading CMM manufacturers, including Nikon, Mitutoyo, Hexagon and Renishaw, and have been specifically designed as a fourth axis for all types of precision CMM machines. They are accurate to ±0.5 arcs seconds, which is the equivalent to hitting a golf ball at a hole more than 22km away and scoring a hole in one every time.

“Let’s say you wanted to measure a rotor disc,” continues Palmer. “Simply using a standard CMM over one fitted with a rotary table would require a machine with a much larger overall measuring volume. This is because the volume of the CMM machine is directly related to the diameter of the disc as voluminous styli systems are usually required to measure a workpiece from all sides which means a large proportion of its measuring range is required just to ensure collision-free movement of the stylus around the part.”

However, the introduction of the rotary table removes this requirement as the rotor can be presented directly to the stylus removing the requirement to access all sides. This in turn simplifies the stylus system allowing the measurement of larger workpieces in relation to the available measuring range, saving aerospace manufacturers both time and money.

RPI’s rotary tables come in a wide size range; from 400mm to 1,200mm and can be fully integrated to the host machine controller. One of the unique selling points of RPI’s CMM rotary tables is their multiple bearing configurations: mechanical or air combination bearing.

The mechanical bearing rotary table combines a high precision, high load capacity, roller thrust bearing resulting in excellent rotational characteristics with a pre-loaded; double row journal bearing to eliminate radial movement in the table’s axis; ideal for heavy off centred loads.

Whereas RPI’s combination bearing rotary table combines the same pre-loaded; double row journal bearing as the mechanical bearing table with a high load capacity thin film air thrust bearing. The thrust bearing uses a thin layer of air trapped between the underside of the table top and the top of the base assembly. The thrust bearing is supplied using a series of orifice plugs machined into the table base; ideal for heavy centred loads.

Because they are so well made, RPI’s rotary tables last for decades only needing servicing to be as good as the day they rolled off the production line. As you’d expect, RPI provides a comprehensive rotary table, repair, overhaul and angular calibration service.

Clearly, you don’t have to go round in circles to see the significant benefits a rotary table can bring to CMM machines used in the aerospace industry. So, if your CMM machine isn’t benefitting from a rotary table, isn’t it time you invested in some rotational innovation?

It’s widely used on virtually every major CMM brand to increase speed, capacity and performance, especially when measuring round, rotating or intricate parts.  If you want more background in the benefits of adding a rotary table to a CMM, this short article should help you.

This one is a bit of a no brainer:  The QuadProfile is designed to do exactly this!  With a fast rotation speed of up to 10rpm, QuadProfile is ideal for scanning applications, allowing the option for rotary motion whilst scanning, enabling the fastest data collection possible.

Despite its high speed, accuracy remains a strong suit of the table, with angular accuracy as great as 2 arc seconds and angular repeatability of 0.5 arc seconds.

Geometric conditions of long or tall rotating parts can be challenging, because mounting them upright on a CMM can be difficult as a result of the amount of space required to do so.  Mounting them horizontally is generally much easier, as it allows you to use the length of the CMM bed to better effect.  It can cause problems with access of the underside of the part, though.   That means that measurements can be slow and, in some cases, impossible without first repositioning the part.

If you want to perform tasks on the bed of the CMM without a rotary table, you can configure a QuadSlimline unit to allow you to do just that.  By adding the air flotation option, you can simply slide it out of the way when necessary by just pressing a button and moving.  This feature can also come in handy for loading and unloading cumbersome parts onto the CMM as an added bonus.  You can find out more about the air flotation option here.

If you’re building a new CMM and want 4th axis capability out of the box, the best option is QuadMatic.  It’s designed to be embedded into the granite of the CMM, meaning there’s almost zero footprint into the measurement space of the machine.  It’s the most seamless design possible for creating a CMM that’s designed for whatever requirements are thrown at it.

If you’ve just bought a CMM and need to add a rotary axis to it, sadly sinking one into the granite is almost certainly not a feasible option.  If that’s the situation you’re in, a QuadSlimline will add the same capacity whilst adding a profile as low as 150mm in height.

If you’ve got a small CMM, we’ve got you covered.  Of course, everyone’s definition of “small” is different, and the size of the parts to be measured is a consideration, too.  So, the three smallest options available in order from small to large are:

The Quadrant range excels in offering high and large load capacities without sacrificing accuracy, so if you’re trying to measure something particularly large, QuadSlimline is the best choice for you.  Its largest configuration consists of a 1,500mm diameter tabletop, which can support loads of up to a remarkable 7,000kg (15,000lb) in mass.

RPI UK, a specialist developer and manufacturer of precision positioning devices for high accuracy rotary and angular inspection systems, has welcomed Mitutoyo as a new customer following the Japanese manufacturers decision to invest in 10 rotary tables.

Mitutoyo, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of precision measuring equipment, has integrated three QuadMatic and seven QuadSlimLine rotary tables into its high precision co-ordinate measurement machines (CMM) at its Japanese and UK operations. RPI engineers travelled to Japan to support Mitutoyo with training and maintenance and were also on hand to help integrate a two-axis rotary table at Mitutoyo in Halifax, UK.

Jim Palmer, RPI’s sales manager, said: “It’s great news that Mitutoyo has chosen to invest in 10 of our Quadrant range rotary tables.  As well as significantly improving overall measurement accuracy and reducing uncertainty, our rotary tables also greatly increase measuring volume, thereby improving the flexibility, productivity and efficiency of our customers’ CMM.”

The addition of Mitutoyo to RPI’s customer base means the Bath-based manufacturer now supplies all the major CMM manufacturers which use rotary tables, from Hexagon to Renishaw and LK to Wenzel. RPI has been supplying the CMM market since 1977 and can boast more than 750 successful installations worldwide.

The QuadSlimLine and QuadMatic are part of RPI’s Quadrant range of CMM tables which also includes the QuadDualPurpose, QuadProfile and the QuadUniversal. They come in a wide size range; from Ø200mm to Ø1500mm and can be fully integrated to the host CMM machine controller.

RPI grew out of acquisitions from Optical Measuring Tools, Airmatic, Horstmannn and Eimeldingen.   It is now one of the world’s largest designers and manufacturers of solution driven, highly accurate inspection systems and services that measure circular geometry and angular positioning.  Using its 75 years of rotary expertise, RPI supplies progressive engineering industries, including the aerospace, gas turbine and dimensional metrology sectors, with exceedingly dependable, low maintenance products with a service life measured in decades, not just years.

ZEISS #HandsOnMetrology has introduced its new ZEISS T-SCAN hawk 2, developed and produced in Germany and certified for the highest industry standards. ZEISS T-SCAN hawk 2 is a portable, reliable

Creaform has announced the addition of the high-accuracy handheld scanner HandySCAN BLACK|Elite Limited to its HandySCAN 3D | BLACK series lineup, an ongoing reference in portable metrology. Developed over the

ZEISS #HandsOnMetrology has introduced its new ZEISS T-SCAN hawk 2, developed and produced in Germany and certified for the highest industry standards. ZEISS T-SCAN hawk 2 is a portable, reliable

The TruMotion range of precision, manual spin, mechanical bearing rotary tables is designed to inspect circular components in a shop floor environment, whilst maintaining world class accuracies more commonly seen in the standards laboratory. The inspection system will be available in two sizes (200mm and 400mm) with a maximum load capacity of 50kgs, offering radial and axial runout targeted at 3 microns. Its user-friendly interface with an optional touch screen display also offers single or double channel data capture.

The TruMotion will be launched at Quality Show 2019 in Rosemont, Illinois on October 22, 2019. Also being demonstrated at the show will be QuadProfile, a brand-new capability to the CMM market for 2019, as the smallest and most accurate rotary table for turbine blade inspection. The new addition to RPI’s Quadrant range, further enhances the product portfolio enabling the ultimate in low profile and compact rotary table design for the CMM market.

The Quadrant range of rotary tables provide an additional axis for any high precision CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) inspecting component parts such as gas turbine discs and fan blades. The part is simply rotated to meet the CMM’s measurement probe rather than the three-axis probe being programmed to reach multiple measurement points around a part.

This simplifies the measurement procedure, helping to deliver fast and accurate indexing as well as increase the CMM’s application range and effective measuring volume. Overall, this improves the flexibility, productivity and efficiency of the CMM inspection. RPI have more than 750 successful CMM rotary table installations worldwide.

Castle-Donnington-based Nikon Metrology took delivery of two RPI rotary tables measuring 400mm and 600mm diameter, whilst the other CMM manufacturer received two 400mm diameter rotary tables.

As well as improving overall measurement accuracy and reducing uncertainty in CMM machines, rotary tables also greatly increase a CMM machine’s available measuring volume thereby providing greater flexibility in what can be measured.

Jim Palmer, sales manager at RPI said: “We are delighted we’ve successfully supplied CMM rotary tables to two of the world’s leading CMM manufacturers. RPI’s rotary tables bring significant benefits to CMM machines and will help end users save money, time and resources by reducing set-up and process times, thereby greatly improving productivity.”

RPI has supplied more than 245 rotary tables to Nikon since the business partnership began back in 1982. Matt Brady at Nikon Metrology UK said: “We’ve been fitting RPI’s tables to our CMM machines for decades and as far as we are concerned they deliver a fantastic product with excellent back up. If you want precision and accuracy, they’re the ones to go to.”

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence has extended the accessory range for the Optiv Performance 663 and Optiv Performance 664 coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) by adding two new computer numeric control (CNC) rotary tables and the Optiv Dual Rotary CNC stacked rotary tables as options, substantially widening the application potential of the multisensor machines.

The use of the fully-integrated CNC rotary axis increases the overall inspection performance, especially when measuring rotationally symmetrical parts. Such workpieces can be completely measured in a single setup as features distributed around the circumference of the part can be precisely rotated into a position which is optimal for the multisensor measurement. The PC-DMIS measuring software takes the rotation of the workpiece coordinate system relative to the machine coordinate system into account. The Optiv Dual Rotary option allows the entire rotary axis to swivel on an additional axis so the sensors can reach geometries that are inclined to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece.

The tactile measurement of prismatic workpieces on a rotary table or the stacked rotary tables also offers improved efficiency through the rotating and swivelling movement, which makes complex geometries easily accessible with only a few simple styli configurations. This reduces the necessary probe changes as well as the number of axis movements within the measuring volume.

The new mechanical bearing rotary tables for the Optiv Performance 663/664 provide high-precision rotational accuracy. Two sizes are available, offering different maximum torques (2 Nm or 10 Nm) and normal centred load capacities (900 N or 1800 N). Depending on the version, self-centring three-jaw precision chucks for diameters between 2 mm and 125 mm are optionally available. With the Optiv Dual Rotary option, two rotary tables are combined to enable two-axis rotations.

“We have extended the range of applications for the Optiv Performance 663/664 with the automatic workpiece rotation within one measurement routine,” says Wolfram Fröhlich, Business Unit Director PL sCMM for the Vision Unit at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. “With up to two additional rotary axes, our customers can make optimum use of the available measuring volume of the machine and perform complete multisensor measurements of complex components without re-clamping.”

Both CNC rotary tables and the CNC stacked rotary tables are available worldwide from today and can be ordered from local Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence commercial operations and dealers.

... brushless servo motor to achieve high rotating speed. Lightweight design makes it easy to incorporate this rotary stage into high dynamics XY-Theta multi-axes stages.

Series RTH direct drive rotary stages provide superior angular positioning and are designed to eliminate backlash, friction and wear problems associated with worm, gear and belt drives.

Rusach International has continued an on-going program of design and development, benefiting from years of experience in the design of special purpose Rotary Tables, Pallet Automation Systems and Metrology Products,from our Eimeldingen years. An increased product range through acquisitions and product development has enhanced the company"s work on high accuracy rotary tables. A natural progression was the introduction of retrofitting  pallet automation systems in 1976. These have subsequently been supplied in "stand alone" and FMS form to suit a wide range of machining applications, also over the last few years supplying rotary and tilt CNC tables fully integrated onto slideways or as full bases for various machines.

Designed and manufactured to the highest level of quality, our rotary tables feature distortion-free active clamping with roller bearings for high-resolution rotation. The rigid design and solid components make loading capacities of up to 100+ tons possible.

High Accuracy, Precision Spin Angular Indexing Rotary Tables, Multi Spindle Rotary Tables, Inspection Tables, Traveling Rotary Tables, Gageing Rotary Tables, Positioning Rotary Tables, Laser & Weld Positioning Tables, Transfer Tables, Production Tables, Machining Tables, Air Bearing Tables, Assembly Tables, Linear Tables, Milling Machine Tables, Tilting Tables, Set Up Tables, X-Y Rotary Tables, Metrology Rotary Tables & Inspection Solutions & Systems, Dividing Rotary Tables and Direct Drive Rotary Tables...

Tsudakoma had been providing best-in-class rotary tables for over 100 years, offering multiple models and configurations to ensure seamless integration with your machining centers. Koma Precision has been distributing Tsudakoma’s tables for over 40 of those years and our North American sales team and in-house engineers will work with you to determine which model best suits your machining needs.

is a specialist in the design and manufacture of a wide range of CNC rotary tables and index tables. At TANSHING we are dedicated to research and development and technological innovation continually.

From design, and precision machining, to rigorous quality control, great care is taken to ensure an international quality level. TANSHING"s products are widely recognized in both domestic and overseas markets. The innovative dual lead worm drive system has been patented in Taiwan which is indisputable proof of the superior R&D capability of TANSHING. TANSHING has been certified by AQSR ISO-9001 (U.S.A.). In order to ensure very high precision parts, TANSHING has invested heavily in various advanced machining equipment. 90% of our in-house parts machining allows us to fully control the accuracy of the parts, which provides a solid foundation for the superior quality of TANSHING CNC rotary tables and index tables.