Renishaw, Wenzel present joint shop floor solutions

© Wenzel 

The cooperation between Renishaw and Wenzel will enable Renishaw’s Equator gaging system to be controlled with Wenzel’s WM | Quartis software for programming and evaluation purposes. It will be incorporated into the Wenzel portfolio; the Equator system already a part of the portfolio.

“Several thousand Equator test units are already in use throughout the world and they enable extremely high repeatability accuracy and thermally robust process monitoring on the shop floor,” says Rainer Lotz, vice president EMEA of Renishaw. “The direct connection to the Wenzel software is an import extension of our solutions for users within the shop floor area.”

“Workpiece data recorded with the Equator is used for automatically updating the tool offset of the respective machine tool,” explains Renishaw product manager Bastian Luithardt. “The Equator concept, which enables flexible and newly programmable measurements, is optimal for use in an automated environment. The result is a stable manufacturing process and continuous documentation for every workpiece.”

Concurrently, Wenzel is launching the SF 55 compact portal measurement machine for direct production use. High travel speeds and acceleration ensure high measurement throughput. The coordinate measurement machine’s (CMM) corrosion-free guideways are made of high-precision hand-finished granite and are completely covered and protected against contamination.

The SF55 has passive vibration damping and can be equipped with active vibration isolation. Due to the good accessibility and interface on the Wenzel automation interface, the shop floor measurement system is well suited for automation and integration into the line. The controller and PC are integrated in the machine for a minimal footprint.

“After the success of our coordinate measuring machine SF 87 for the shop floor, the more compact SF 55 is the logical response to the market requirements of the shop floor,” says Dr. Heike Wenzel, managing director of the Wenzel Group. “Both user-friendly concepts, SF from Wenzel and Equator from Renishaw, cover very different application areas within the shop floor sector and perfectly complement each other. We are therefore able to offer further turnkey solutions in addition to the hardware, which make us a flexible partner for our clients.”

In addition to extending their product range Wenzel and Renishaw will also continue their joint development of the REVO 5-axis measurement system. The combination of Wenzel high-performance coordinate measurement systems with the revolutionary REVO multi-sensor 5-axis measurement system from Renishaw obtains much shorter throughput times compared to conventional solutions and offers excellent measurement flexibility without loss of accuracy.