Choosing the correct material is important to ensure success in your application. Factors include weight, durability, and thermal stability. Listed below are several charts to help determine what materials will work best with your applications and also the technical specifications for each material.
| BEST | Recommended choice (best available) |
| OK | Acceptable alternative (not ideal) |
| NO | Not recommended (or not applicable) |
| Thread | STAINLESS STEEL | TITANIUM | ALUMINUM |
|---|---|---|---|
| M2 M3 M4 M6 |
BEST |
OK |
NO |
| M5 |
OK |
BEST |
NO |
| Application | RUBY | SILICON NITRIDE | CARBIDE | ZYRCONIA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point-to-Point measurements on all materials |
BEST |
OK |
NO |
OK |
| Scanning on ALUMINUM parts |
OK |
BEST |
NO |
OK |
| Scanning on CAST IRON |
OK |
OK |
NO |
BEST |
| Portable CMMs |
BEST |
NO |
NO |
OK |
| Application | STAINLESS STEEL |
HIGH GRADE STAINLESS STEEL |
CARBIDE TUBULAR STEM |
CARBIDE FULL STEM |
CERAMIC | CARBON FIBER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point to Point (L < 80) |
BEST |
OK |
OK |
OK |
OK |
OK |
| Scanning with high stiffness |
NO |
BEST |
OK |
OK |
OK |
NO |
| Small ball diameters (Ø<1 mm) |
NO |
NO |
NO |
BEST |
NO |
NO |
| Reduced weight |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
OK |
BEST |
| Reduced weight + high stiffness |
NO |
OK |
BEST |
OK |
OK |
NO |
| Long stylus (L>150mm) Ø ball>4mm MAX. STIFFNESS |
NO |
OK |
BEST |
OK |
OK |
NO |
| Long stylus (L>150mm) Ø ball<4mm MAX. STIFFNESS |
NO |
NO |
NO |
BEST |
OK |
NO |
| Anti-crash |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
BEST |
NO |
| MATERIAL | HARDNESS | DENSITY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TITANIUM |
3.7035 Grade 2 |
150 Brinell |
4.5 g/cm3 |
| STAINLESS STEEL |
1.4305 |
300 Vickers |
7.95 g/cm3 |
| TUNGSTEN CARBIDE |
DK 120 |
1700 Vickers |
15.0 g/cm3 |
| CERAMIC |
Alsint 99.7 |
9 as per Mohs |
3.85 g/cm3 |
| CARBON FIBER |
Bending Strength > 450 |
||
| RUBY BALLS | CERAMIC BALLS | SILICON NITRIDE BALLS |
ZIRCONIA OXIDE BALLS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MATERIAL |
Synthetic Ruby |
Aluminum Oxide |
Silicon Nitride |
Zirconia Oxide |
| FORM DEVIATION |
≤ 0.125µm |
≤ 0.125µm |
≤ 0.125µm |
≤ 0.125µm |
| DIAMETER DEVIATION |
≤ 0.15µm |
≤ 0.15µm |
≤ 0.15µm |
≤ 0.15µm |
| ROUGHNESS Ra |
≤ 0.008µm |
≤ 0.008µm |
≤ 0.008µm |
≤ 0.008µm |
| HARDNESS |
2400 Vickers |
2100 Vickers |
1600 Vickers |
1200 Vickers |
| DENSITY |
3.99 g/cm3 |
33.85 g/cm3 |
3.20 g/cm3 |
6.05 g/cm3 |
| THERMAL EXPANSION |
5.4•10-6K-1 |
8.0•10-6K-1 |
2.9•10-6K-1 |
10.5•10-6K-1 |
| COMPRESSION STRENGTH (MPa) |
2100 |
3800 |
3000 |
2000 |
| BENDING STRENGTH |
400 |
470 |
>1000 |
700-1100 |
| FRACTURE TOUGHNESS (MN/m3/2) |
1 |
4 |
>6.5 |
10 |
itpstyli not only offers an extensive range of standard styli, but also offers the Design Your Own styli option where you can create a custom stylus that fits your specific application.
sales@itpstyli.com
