HEIDENHAIN-SPECTO ST 3087 RC for Time and Cost Savings through In-Process Measurement

HEIDENHAIN: The new HEIDENHAIN-SPECTO ST 3087 RC length gauge is particularly well suited for applications under harsh ambient conditions, e.g. in metal-cutting production areas. It has  special protection for its sensitive measuring technology. For example, measuring processes with a maximum deviation of ±1 μm at a measuring range of 30 mm can take place directly in the production process, instead of removing them to quality islands or laboratories. This saves time and money through significantly reduced time, cost and transportation.

The HEIDENHAIN-SPECTO ST 3087 RC has a special housing for in-process measurements even in metal-cutting production areas. In the plunger rest position it houses the plunger and a rubber bellows surrounding the plunger.  In the rest position, a splash guard cap also closes the exit opening for the plunger in the housing. For a measurement, which is normally made when the cooling lubricant is switched off, only the plunger and its bellows extend out of the housing, driven by compressed air. It is therefore well protected during measurement.

The optical scanning provides high-accurate position values with a maximum error of ±1 μm over a 30 mm measuring range. Thanks to its stroke of 30 mm and its high accuracy over its entire measuring range, it can measure diverse components from the same fixture. In addition, the optical scanning together with the ball guide also permits consistent repeatability when scanning oblique surfaces. The cycle time for measurements is below 1.5 s.

An important component of accurate manufacturing is and has always been well functioning measuring technology. However, up to now it has often been isolated to quality islands or labs rather than fully integrated into the ongoing process. The new HEIDENHAIN-SPECTO ST 3087 RC increases productivity and efficiency particularly in those applications where for reasons of time or accuracy it is not possible to clamp the workpiece on a separate device to inspect the machining process. Instead, it integrates the highly accurate measuring process directly into the production process. Time-consuming test steps away from the machine tool can be omitted.