The telescoping Ballbar is becoming one of the most powerful, all-around tools for CNC evaluation and is the single best device for checking contouring accu­racy. The ballbar is relatively inexpensive and is highly recommended for in­house machine tool quality maintenance programs.

The Ballbar tests show how two axes work together to move the machine in a cir­cular path. In a perfect machine, two axes would make a perfect circle. The Ballbar measures any deviation the machine makes from a perfect circle and dis­plays the data in a polar plot format.

The API Ballbar System may well be the single best all-around device to evaluate and diagnose CNC machines and robots. Easy operation and automatic error identification combine with a unique parallel spring suspension that renders extremely accurate and frictionless measurement. The design allows extensions up to 1.5 meters in radius for large machines.

• Backlash
• Squareness
• Stick-slip
• Servo lag
• Straightness
• Scale mismatch
• Machine and servo vibration