New wireless ballbar has volumetric testing capability Renishaw introduces the successor to its well established QC10 ballbar system, a tool adopted worldwide for the assessment of machine tool positioning and servo control performance The QC20-W ballbar is an all-new design featuring a Renishaw-developed linear sensor and Bluetooth® wireless technology, providing greater ease of use and durability, and allowing for testing in "closed door" manufacturing, where access for wiring can raise safety and procedural issues. The new design also allows testing in 3 orthogonal planes through a single reference point. A single, simple hardware set up means quicker testing and the ability to produce a representative volumetric measurement of positioning accuracy. The QC20-W ballbar retains the operating principle of a simple CNC circular program, coupled with powerful software. The system can quickly diagnose and quantify machine positioning errors, including servo mismatch, stick-slip errors, backlash, repeatability, scale mismatch and machine geometry, as well as provide an overall circularity error value. Enhanced system software provides greater options and flexibility for testing and reporting. The QC20-W kit is supplied in a redesigned, robust system case, which includes spaces for the most popular accessories. Backward Compatability with QC10 Renishaw has gone to great lengths to ensure backward compatibility with the earlier QC10 ballbar, minimizing costs and disruption when upgrading or working alongside existing QC10 systems. Ballbar lengths are identical, so all existing test routines can be retained, including test templates, CNC programs, and work and test procedures. Only minimal training is required when upgrading, focusing on familiarization with the new features. The Ballbar20 software is also compatible with QC10 systems, enabling old machine records to be reviewed and old test templates to be utilized. A competitively priced upgrade kit is available for QC10 ballbar owners, an option that Renishaw says many users are choosing over recalibration of the existing QC10. Value of Ballbar Testing Determining a machine tool's capabilities before machining and post-process inspection can greatly reduce the possibility of scrap and machine downtime, resulting in lower manufacturing costs. Renishaw ballbars are used by machine tool manufacturers, end users, resellers and service companies for pre-production tests, predictive maintenance programs, new machine prove-out, machine grading and comparison, and machine checking after "crashes." Many users specify a ballbar test before beginning any new batch of components.