For the first time, Element Six has developed a synthetic diamond ball for use in the field of coordinate measuring machine probes. At the International Quality and Safety Technology Exhibition in Sinsheim, Germany, this new product debuted and several companies expressed strong interest in this new diamond technology.
The purpose of developing diamond ball is to overcome some of the defects in current measurement ball materials. Up to now, the probe material is composed of ceramic materials such as ruby, sapphire, alumina, and silica. As these materials undergo temperature changes, material adhesion and wear during measurement, resulting in changes in the size of the measuring head, this will result in inaccuracies in the measurement. In contrast, diamond styli produces relatively little wear when scanning high hardness materials and will produce less adhesion when scanning soft materials such as aluminum alloys. The above also represents the primary market application area for this new type of probe.
Element Six initially produced diamond balls of 1 mm and 3 mm diameter, which is the most common specification for current ball sizes. Element Six will also introduce diamond balls of other diameters in the future.
In the automotive, aerospace and medical device fields, on-line quality control of CMMs in production environments is playing an increasingly important role, which places higher demands on the reliability and accuracy of measurement results. These devices are widely used in the manufacturing industry for on-line measurements of complex workpieces such as engine blocks, cylinder heads, and gearboxes.
Element Six has rigorously tested diamonds and compared these test results to the best competing materials. By comparing the adhesion wear of the probe when scanning the aluminum workpiece, it turns out that the performance of the diamond is far superior to that of the ruby. From a practical point of view, applying diamond ball to a CMM will bring more benefits to the user. All in all, these indicate that diamond ball can increase productivity by reducing material costs and downtime and improving process stability. (This article was compiled by Beijing Shibo Technology Development Co., Ltd.)