Metrology Industry. Portable coordinate measuring machines (CMM).
Steel and/or aluminum cylindrical tubing.
Our customer’s metrology device had cylindrical shafts that needed to exhibit less thermal expansion/contraction (dimensional change) during temperature fluctuations. A stiffer and lighter support structure would also be beneficial for higher precision and portability.
RWC’s low CTE carbon tubing provided a stiff, lightweight structure for this metrology application. The high-modulus carbon fiber/epoxy custom composite tubing was bonded to machined metallic joints, creating an ultra-lightweight articulating arm capable of 3 dimensional measurements accurate to within 3 microns or less.