The Tool Crib is proud to be an authorized distributor for Heidenhain precision measuring equipment. Heidenhain is based in Traunreut, Germany with service and support centers worldwide. Their US operations are located in Schaumburg, IL. They are the world leader in linear glass scales, rotary encoders, and CNC controllers. The facility where they produce the masters for their scales is nothing short of astounding. The structure is essentially, a building within a building. The master lab is isolated from temperature and vibration to account for even trains passing in the nearby town. They are able to produce typical graduations on the glass scale of from .25μm – 10μm.
When installed on a machine tool, linear scales virtually eliminate the effects of thermal expansion versus relying on the position of the ball screw for location. Repeatability for tight tolerance machining is greatly enhanced. Heidenhain has a complete line of scales to fit any machine. There are measuring lengths available from 20mm to exposed scales ranging up to 72 meters in length. In addition, they produce all of the cables and interface accessories to allow their scales to “talk” to any common CNC controller.
Heidenhain also makes a complete line of Angle and Rotary Encoders that are used in everything from machine tools to astronomical observatories. Some of these have accuracy of .00001 degree. That equates to 536 million steps per revolution.
They also make a series of length gauges that are used in quality control applications and process measurement. These instruments can have motorized, pneumatic or non-driven plungers to allow for completely automated measuring. Depending upon the model, accuracy is available to .05μm. Because of their very small size, the AT and ST series are a perfect solution for inspection stations with limited space.
All of the Heidenhain catalogs are available in our catalog library. Feel free to download any that you need. We have the experience to help you specify the correct Heidenhain product to your application. Please feel free to contact us or ask your local Tool Crib representative for assistance.
