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Choosing styli for scanning

How to pick the right stylus for scanning and digitising parts on CMMs and machine tools.

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The choice of scanning styli will be dependent on the scanning application and the type of scanning probe used. Use a stylus which has the same diameter as the finished cutting tool used to produce the part.

Keep the stylus as short as possible to prevent excessive bending, but ensure the stylus is long enough to prevent scanning on the shank.

Application considerations

Use a ball ended stylus where possible. If the part to be scanned has undercuts (which cause the ball to become trapped) use a parallel sided stylus.

For a profile application where the height of the profile is not a constant Z use a parallel sided stylus.

Also consider the ball material that is best suited to the component that is to be scanned.

Probe considerations

The stylus force applied from the scanning probe should be a maximum of 50 grams on the SP600/SPSM (Cyclone) probes and 1000 grams on the SP2 range of probes.

The weight of the stylus on the SP600/SPSM (Cyclone) probes should not exceed 20 grams.

Learn more

[1.9MB] Precision styli brochure
Education guide for all users of styli
[395kB] White paper: At the sharp end – a guide to stylus selection
When deciding the best way to measure a component on a co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM), many choices are made by default because they have been carefully thought through many times before. The accuracy specification of the CMM, the best type of sensor to use (touch or scanning) and the optimum probing method are often taken for granted and not questioned. However, this foundation for good metrology can be undermined by an inappropriate or ill-considered choice of stylus, with the result that measurement accuracy can be compromised.