Renishaw's Equator-X™ dual-method gauging system has won the 2026 AMB Award in the Measuring Technology and Quality Assurance category, judged by representatives of three German trade associations and members of the scientific community at the AMB exhibition in Stuttgart. The jury cited the system for "enhancing process control and delivering greater measurement flexibility on the shop floor."
Introduced in 2025, Equator-X extends Renishaw's existing Equator™ range by combining two inspection methods, Absolute and Compare, in a single hexapod-based gauge. Absolute mode functions as a high-speed production CMM, delivering fully traceable results to ISO 10360-2 (2.1 μm + L/300) at scanning speeds up to 250 mm/s without requiring a master part. Compare mode checks parts against a reference master at speeds up to 500 mm/s while holding ±2 μm repeatability across a wide temperature range; when shop floor temperatures shift, operators re-master the system rather than relying on climate control to hold accuracy.
For QA teams running high-mix, low-volume work alongside high-volume lines, that mode switch means one gauge can cover inspection jobs that previously needed separate systems.
The system's speed comes from six linear motors arranged in a hexapod configuration that drive the probe platform directly, avoiding the bending and twisting that slow conventional 3-axis CMMs. Drive and metrology frames operate independently, letting Renishaw optimize the drive frame for velocity without compromising measurement accuracy. The carbon fibre metrology frame carries a RESOLUTE™ absolute optical encoder in each strut, so the system reads its position immediately at switch-on. Probing runs on the SP25M scanning system with styli covering 50–105 mm effective working length, or up to 83 mm for cranked styli, swapped automatically through a 6-port rack. MODUS™ IM software ships standard for programming, reporting and machine analysis.
Rainer Krug, Sales & Business Development Director at Renishaw GmbH, said the Equator-X system "enables companies to adapt quickly to changing production requirements while maintaining high standards of quality and efficiency." Beyond inspection, Renishaw offers an optional IPC Intelligent Process Control application within MODUS IM that feeds Equator-X measurement data back into machine tool controls, adjusting offsets to compensate for tool wear or thermal drift.
