Probe of the Month: January 2006

MISSION VIEJO, CA – January 6, 2006 – Q-Mark Manufacturing Inc, a US-based manufacturer of coordinate measuring machine (CMM) tooling, today introduced CMM styli with synthetic diamond tips. Diamond is the hardest substance known. Diamond tip CMM styli have the potential to far outlast conventional ruby tip styli, which are prone to wear in certain applications, particularly continuous contact probing, commonly known as “scanning”. An added benefit is that diamond, unlike ruby, does not accumulate material on its surface when probing soft metals.

These synthetic diamond tips are 1 mm diameter and hemispherical, making them ideal for probing small to medium-sized workpieces perpendicular to the stylus axis. The diamond hemisphere is brazed to a carbide shaft. Brazing produces a strong and reliable bond between the diamond and the carbide shaft. The shaft is held in an adapter attached to the CMM probe head.

“Several CMM users have asked for styli that are more wear resistant than conventional ruby styli, or even our patented silicon nitride styli,” said Mark Osterstock, President of Q-Mark Manufacturing. “With these new diamond tip CMM styli, Q-Mark now offers a virtually wear- and accumulation-free substance to the industry.”

Q-Mark Manufacturing, founded in 1997, is headquartered in Mission Viejo, California, and manufactures precision tooling for coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). Request a free brochure on diamond tip CMM styli by calling Q-Mark at 1-800-776-2388, or by email to sales@cmms.com.