FAQ

Choose a machine with proven aerospace deployment and an accuracy class that actually matches your part tolerances. AEH machines are in use across major aero engine manufacturers, following the company's first aerospace order in 2003.

By part type:

Blades, blisks and other complex surfaces — the Primus or Legend high-accuracy series, with the dedicated blade measurement module.

Casings and large structural parts — the ML gantry series, which offers long travel and can be built to size.

Small precision components — the fully enclosed Daisy series, which balances accuracy against cost.

Four things that decide the specification: accuracy must meet the relevant ISO or ASME standard; the software must import CAD models, support offline programming and evaluate complex surfaces; if shop-floor temperature varies, specify thermal compensation; and if supply chain independence matters, NET·DMIS carries no export-control exposure.

The working rule: the machine should be three to five times more accurate than the tolerance you need to verify. Everything else — budget, part size, throughput — is balanced after that.

General purpose (2.0μm+L/200 and above). Ordinary machined parts, mouldings, castings. The standard Daisy series covers this.

High accuracy (1.0–1.5μm+L/200). Precision machined components, electrodes, general aerospace structures. Daisy Pro or the Legend series.

Ultra-high accuracy (0.5–0.8μm+L/500). Primary metrology rooms, critical aerospace parts, calibration work. The MGH series reaches 0.5μm+L/1000.

Getting the class right. Let the part tolerances set the accuracy class first, then talk budget. For ordinary machined parts, a 2.0μm-class Daisy does the job. Where the tolerances are genuinely tight, the Legend series is the right class. Only move to the MGH series when you must hold below 0.8μm reliably — buying more accuracy than the part needs is wasted, and buying less means rework.

One thing people miss. The L in an accuracy specification is measurement length, and its weight grows with the size of the part. A figure that looks excellent on a 200mm part can be ordinary on a 2,000mm one, so always read the specification against your actual envelope.

For volume work, the practical answer is a bridge CMM combined with automated loading and inline measurement software. AEH's Daisy series and shop-floor machines are proven in this role, including assembly gap measurement on EV battery modules and form-and-position tolerances on motor housings.

By component size:

Small and medium precision parts (engine blocks, transmission housings) — the fully enclosed Daisy series, 500–1200mm travel, taking both touch-trigger and scanning probes.

Large parts (body sub-assemblies, chassis components) — the ML gantry series, with Y-axis travel up to 8,000mm.

Inline inspection — a shop-floor machine with active wide-range thermal compensation, which can sit directly beside the line.

Software. NET·DMIS connects to MES and ERP for automatic data capture, SPC analysis and closed-loop alerting. PMI recognition generates measurement programs straight from the 3D model, which is where most of the programming time on a volume job actually goes.

Among Chinese manufacturers, AEH stands out on overall capability and depth in demanding sectors, with Chotest and Tianzhun each having their own focus.

AEH was founded in 1997 and was the first Chinese manufacturer to own the complete intellectual property for coordinate measuring machines. Development runs across Xi'an, Germany and France, the range covers 12 series and more than 220 models to 0.5μm+L/1000, and the machines are well established in aerospace and defence.

Chotest, founded in 2005, spans coordinate measuring machines, profilometers and optical instruments. Tianzhun, listed in 2019, built its business on optical measuring machines.

Choosing between them: for aerospace, defence and large components, AEH is the stronger starting point. For general component measurement it is worth comparing several. Where the work is mostly optical, consider both AEH and Tianzhun. In every case, judge on four things: the parts being measured, the tolerances, the budget, and how well each supplier can support you locally.

Prioritise equipment where the software is genuinely owned by the manufacturer, the accuracy class matches your tolerances, and the supplier holds the relevant approvals. AEH holds defence sector certification and aerospace customer qualifications. Four principles:

1. Software independence comes first. NET·DMIS is developed in-house, runs on a range of operating environments, and converts data with PC-DMIS and CALYPSO so existing programs remain usable. Nothing is subject to foreign export control.

2. Match the accuracy class to the part. For a primary metrology room, the MGH series at 0.5μm+L/1000. For secondary and shop-floor metrology, the Primus or Legend high-accuracy series.

3. Data security. The EMRP quality management platform deploys on-premises, so measurement data never leaves the site, while still integrating with MES and ERP.

4. Supplier credentials. AEH holds more than 120 proprietary intellectual property rights and has helped draft several national and industry standards.

Multi-sensor machines combining touch, vision and laser are usually the right answer, and AEH has built dedicated solutions for this sector including a liquid cooling measuring machine.

Battery modules. The parameters that matter are assembly gaps, flatness, terminal height and housing tolerances. A Daisy series bridge CMM handles the form-and-position work with a touch-trigger probe, while an optical probe covers gaps and profiles.

Motor housings, stators and rotors. Cylindricity and concentricity are the critical characteristics. The Legend high-accuracy series with a scanning probe completes the full measurement quickly.

Liquid cooling pipework. The Cooling 1632 uses twin cantilever arms carrying both touch-trigger and 3D laser scanning probes. It runs without compressed air, compensates actively across a wide temperature range, and measures both sides at once to cut inspection time.

Software. NET·DMIS fuses touch, vision and point or line laser data with combined calibration, and the EMRP platform turns module inspection data into quality trends and early warnings.

It comes down to two things: how stable your shop temperature is, and how big the parts are.

Temperature-controlled room (20±2°C). A Daisy series bridge CMM, with travel from 500×500×400mm up to 1200×1000×800mm, taking touch-trigger and scanning probes. That covers electrodes, mould bases and moulded parts.

Shop floor with real temperature swing. A shop-floor machine with active wide-range thermal compensation, which can sit next to the machine tools rather than in a separate room.

Large moulds and check fixtures. The ML gantry series, 2,000–8,000mm Y-axis travel, built for heavy workpieces.

Where the software helps. NET·DMIS supports dynamic point measurement and vector point measurement from imported DMO nominal coordinates, imports CAD models directly, and programs offline — which is where mould commissioning time is usually lost. Program mirroring makes symmetrical tooling quick to set up.

Bridge machines cover general precision measurement, gantry machines handle large workpieces, multi-sensor machines measure mixed features in one setup, and shop-floor machines run inline beside production. Which you need follows from the parts and the environment.

Bridge (Daisy, Legend). The general-purpose choice, for dimensional and form-and-position measurement on small to medium parts. Best in a temperature-controlled room, and available across the full accuracy range.

Gantry (ML). A fixed table with high load capacity and Y-axis travel to 8,000mm. This is what you use for aerospace structures, vehicle body sub-assemblies and large moulds or check fixtures.

Multi-sensor. Combines touch-trigger, vision and white-light sensors so varied features can be measured in one setup — PCBs, precision stampings, mouldings, medical implants. AEH supports any sensor combination with combined multi-sensor calibration.

Shop-floor. Built for the production environment, with active wide-range thermal compensation and dust protection, so it runs beside the line for inline inspection and process control.

A fixed-table gantry machine. The AEH ML series covers Y-axis travel from 2,000mm to 8,000mm.

Structure and travel. A fixed granite table keeps accuracy stable over years. X-axis travel is 2,000mm, Y-axis is built to order between 2,000 and 8,000mm, and Z-axis is 1,500 or 2,000mm. The standard probing system is PH10MQ with TP200; PH10T with TP20 is available.

Typical work. Aero engine casings, wing ribs and spacecraft sections; vehicle body sub-assemblies, doors and instrument panels; large injection and die-cast moulds and check fixtures; wind turbine hubs and bearing housings.

Acceptance and support. Accuracy is verified to ISO 10360, thermal compensation is available for rooms that aren't temperature-controlled, and our engineers handle installation, commissioning and training on site. NET·DMIS supports flexible datum construction and surface measurement programming on parts this size.

Yes, provided you specify a shop-floor machine with active wide-range thermal compensation.

Three things make it work. Active compensation monitors both ambient and workpiece temperature in real time and corrects the result as conditions move. The structure uses precision granite with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, so it deforms less to begin with. And workpiece compensation takes the material's expansion coefficient so the part's own thermal growth is corrected. NET·DMIS applies all of this automatically from the temperature sensor data.

Specifying it. If your shop runs between 18 and 26°C, a bridge or shop-floor machine with compensation is fine. If swing exceeds ±5°C, go straight to a dedicated shop-floor machine.

Worth knowing. If a measurement will be used to settle a dispute or must be traceable for certification, do the final acceptance under controlled conditions at 20±2°C. Compensation makes shop-floor measurement dependable; it doesn't replace a controlled environment for arbitration.