Contour measurement put under pressure
A
Servotechnic product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Mar 2, 2005
The Pneumatic Probe, available from Servotechnic, is an instrument that can measure the contours of a surface without contacting the surface being examined.
The Pneumatic Probe, available from Servotechnic, is an instrument that can measure the contours of a surface without contacting the surface being examined.
The working principles involve passing pressurised air (or any gas) through two orifices and measuring the pressure in the chamber between the orifices.
When the probe is placed in close proximity to a surface, deviations in the surface cause changes in the chamber pressure that can be directly related to that deviation.
The pressure change is measured by a pressure transducer and can be recorded.
The probe is delivered with a console showing contour deviations with digital and analogue display as well as with an electrical output.
The advantages of the product are numerous: surfaces being measured are not in contact with the probe, and so relatively soft materials such as aluminium mirrors are not marked.
The surface does not need to be electrically conductive, and so materials such as ceramics or plastics can be measured with equal accuracy to steel, brass or aluminium.
The probe is not just an inspection room instrument: because pressurised gas is used it can operate in an harsh environment such as immersion in coolant during machining, and so it is ideal for "in process" measurement.
The probe can be used to discriminate to the nanometre level if required.
However, a more typical probe having an orifice of 30mm diameter will measure through a range of 40.6mm to a discrimination of 0.025mm.
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