FAQ

Two numbers matter, and they describe different things. E (indication error) is how accurately the machine measures length. R (probing error) is how repeatably it measures a single point. E governs dimensional accuracy; R governs form and position accuracy.

Indication error E is usually written E = a + L/b, where a is a constant in µm, L is the measured length in mm, and b is a coefficient. Take E = 1.5 + L/250: over 100mm the error is 1.5+0.4 = 1.9µm; over 500mm it is 1.5+2.0 = 3.5µm. It is verified with gauge blocks or step gauges at multiple positions and orientations through the measuring volume.

Probing error R is the repeatability of probing the same point from different directions, expressed as maximum deviation in µm. It is verified by probing a reference sphere at many points, and it reflects probe system hysteresis and guideway repeatability. The smaller R is, the better the machine measures roundness, cylindricity and concentricity.

As a buying guide: general machined parts, E ≤ 2.5µm; precision tooling and aerospace components, E ≤ 1.5µm; a primary metrology room, E ≤ 0.8µm.

Multi-sensor machines earn their place on parts with mixed features — where some characteristics need a touch probe and others need optics, and you want both in one setup.

How the sensors divide the work. The touch probe handles three-dimensional form and position characteristics that demand accuracy: heights, depths, concentricity, cylindricity. The vision system handles small features, thin walls and soft materials in two dimensions: small bore diameters, profile, spacing, angles, and edge detection.

Configuration. AEH supports any combination — touch plus vision, vision plus point laser, line laser — with combined multi-sensor calibration. Programming and analysis stay in one place under NET·DMIS. Vision supports fixed, manual zoom and autofocus lenses, with zoom compensation applied to autofocus optics.

Typical parts. Phone mid-frames, connectors and lead frames; orthopaedic implants and medical tubing; precision mouldings and stampings; and anything where a transparent or soft profile has to be measured alongside rigid structural dimensions.

It addresses a specific gap: measuring the pipework, cold plates and connectors in liquid cooling systems, where the parts are long, the geometry is three-dimensional, and the tolerances are tight.

Four things make these parts difficult. They are large — some pipe runs exceed 1.5 metres, which rules out a conventional small CMM. The geometry is complex, with bends through space that need multi-axis measurement. Assembly clearances are frequently held inside ±0.05mm. And the work often happens where there is no temperature control and no reliable compressed air.

The Cooling 1632, first shown publicly in June 2026, uses a twin cantilever structure with a maximum measuring length of 1,632mm, carrying both a touch-trigger probe and a 3D laser scanning probe for genuine multi-sensor measurement.

Three things set it apart. It needs no compressed air, so it deploys wherever there is a power socket. Active wide-range thermal compensation handles workshop temperature swing. And the two arms measure together, which is what makes long pipework practical to inspect at production rates.

It runs NET·DMIS with the EMRP quality management platform, so full three-dimensional curve measurement feeds directly into quality analysis.

Touch-trigger suits discrete points and general inspection. Scanning suits profiles and surfaces where you need dense data. The part decides.

Touch-trigger probes (TP series). The stylus triggers a signal on contact and the coordinate is recorded. Simple, lower cost, tolerant of stylus length, and proven over decades. Right for hole positions, flatness and perpendicularity on housings and prismatic parts, for jobs with a few dozen points, and for high-mix general inspection.

Scanning probes (SP series). The stylus stays in contact and slides along the surface, capturing a dense point cloud continuously — hundreds to thousands of points per second. It reveals small surface variations that discrete points miss, though it is more demanding about stylus configuration. Right for turbine blades, mould surfaces and gear flanks where profile has to be evaluated, for waviness and form analysis, and for reverse engineering.

The practical answer: most general machining work is well served by touch-trigger, which keeps cost sensible. If you have complex surfaces or need real profile evaluation, specify scanning. Many customers fit both and switch between them in software as the job demands.

Acceptance follows the ISO 10360 series. Calibration and traceability rely on reference standards — gauge blocks, reference spheres, step gauges — that trace back to national standards. AEH provides both acceptance testing and annual calibration.

Acceptance. Once installation and commissioning are complete, testing runs to ISO 10360, covering indication error (E), probing error (R) and scanning error (THP and equivalents). Our engineers bring reference standards calibrated by the National Institute of Metrology and issue an acceptance report. You are equally welcome to have a third-party metrology body witness the acceptance.

Calibration and traceability. Annual calibration verifies length accuracy with gauge blocks and probing accuracy with a reference sphere, carried out on site and documented in a certificate. All our reference standards are themselves recalibrated at national or provincial metrology institutes, so the chain runs unbroken back to the national length standard and the SI unit.

Three ways to arrange it. An annual calibration contract with scheduled visits from our engineers; calibration by an independent metrology body; or self-calibration if you have the capability in-house, with our guidance and technical support behind it.