Probes & Styli

Eley Metrology are stockists and suppliers of a comprehensive range of CMM probes and styli. We are pleased to offer advice on selection of the correct configuration for your particular machine and application.

Renishaw are the world’s leading manufacturer of CMM probing systems. From simple manual probes up to motorised indexable probes and scanning systems, Eley Metrology can provide the solution for your measuring requirements.

As an accredited Renishaw dealer Eley Metrology are able to provide you with the best delivery and prices – and as your metrology provider we can offer on site support for the installation and configuration of new probing systems.

All Renishaw probes are fully supportable, so if you need repairs on faulty probes we can provide service/exchange models to minimise your downtime. Old and obsolete probes are upgradeable to the latest systems using advantageous upgrade terms.

Choosing styli for inspection:

By choosing from the comprehensive range of genuine Renishaw styli, you can be sure that the design and materials of your stylus will be optimised.

However, your choice of stylus configuration can have a significant effect on the accuracy of the measurements you take.

Terminology:

1. Ball Diameter
2. Overall Length
3. Stem Diameter
4. Effective Working Length

Overall length

Renishaw uses a standard description of overall length, measured from the rear mounting face of the stylus to the centre of the ball.

Effective working length (EWL) This is measured from the centre of the ball to the point at which the stem will foul against the feature when measuring 'normal' to the part.

A few simple rules can be applied to maximize accuracy for most probing applications.

Rules for choosing a stylus

Keep styli short

The more the stylus bends or deflects, the lower the accuracy. Probing with the minimum stylus length for your application is the best option.

Minimise joints

Every time you join styli and extensions, you introduce potential bending and deflection points. Try, wherever possible, to keep to the minimum number of pieces possible for your application.

Keep the stylus ball as large as possible

There are several reasons for this:

• It maximises your ball/stem clearance, thereby reducing the chance of false triggers caused by 'shanking out' on the stylus stem, and increasing the EWL.
• A larger ball allows a larger stem diameter, increasing the stiffness of the stylus.
• The larger ruby ball reduces the effect of the surface finish of the component being inspected.