Laser bits.

"Customers can now measure 18 of the 21 positioning errors"--for machine tools and coordinate measuring machines--"with the ability to measure straightness, squareness, pitch and yaw errors," says Charles Wang, president of Optodyne, Inc. (Compton, CA; www.optodyne.com). Speaking of the laser-based MCV 500 calibration system, he continues, "The only errors it does not measure are roll angular errors that are not critical." The laser head used in the system is said to be 10 times smaller than a laser interferometer system (this system uses a modulated beam reflected off of a movable target). It provides a resolution of up to 0.000001 in.

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