New Product From: 2/11/2009 Modern Machine Shop Designed for small machining centers and inspection of hard-to-reach part features, the OMP400 optical probe is said to combine miniaturization of the OMP40 probe with advances in strain gage technology. It is suited for machines with short, Z-axis travel and spindles as small as HSK 32. Combining its size, accuracy, reliability and robustness, the probe is suited for high-accuracy applications.

Strain gages allow the probe to trigger at lower and consistent-contact forces, resulting in less bending of the stylus and negligible pre-travel for greater accuracy, the company says. The probe is sealed to IPX8 and built to withstand harsh machine tool environments, giving greater resistance to stylus over-travels and shocks caused by toolchangers.

The company also offers the Productivity+ Active Editor Pro software, which is said to provide easy programming and a powerful macro suite to give manufacturers the full benefits of in-process machine tool probing. The AE Pro 1.4 adds increased support for CAD models from a variety of CAD formats, extends the range of postprocessors, provides compatibility with a range of machine controls and supports multiple languages.

Productivity+ software allows probing routines to be programmed and simulated on CAD/CAM systems at the same time as toolpath generation.