Floating steel encoder scales for SMT
December 2020
The thermal behaviour of encoder scales is an important consideration when selecting any encoder system. This application note discusses surface mount technology (SMT) applications and presents an example of where linear steel scale (installed to be thermally independent of its mounting substrate) may be preferable to the currently widely used, but expensive, near-zero thermal expansion scales.
Floating scale encoder systems, such as Renishaw's QUANTiC™ encoder with RTLC scale, enable designers to maximise the placement accuracy and yield of their pick-and-place machines.