MarForm MMQ 500 Form Tester

February 27, 2021
MMQ 500 a Versatile Master Multitasker

Mahr Inc., a global manufacturer of precision measurement equipment used for dimensional metrology, today introduced its new MarForm MMQ 500, which extends Mahr’s benchtop form tester portfolio with new levels of speed and flexibility. The MMQ 500 features optimized machine design and construction for the highest stability, precision, and speed. Powerful software enables both setup and measurement to be automated and extremely fast.

The MarForm MMQ 500 is designed for speed. Its Z-axis vertical column allows movements with up to 100 mm/s—more than three times faster than conventional form measuring devices—for minimized cycle times. The newly developed automatic CNC centering and tilting table is a key factor in speeding up the total cycle time as it enables faster alignment than comparable models, thus increasing efficiency and productivity up to 75% faster than the market standard. This new centering and tilting table also features a high load-bearing capacity to enable the measurement of heavy workpieces, up to a mass of 80 kg (176 lbs.)

Another important benefit of the MMQ 500 is the elimination of the need for an air supply by the use of a high-precision mechanical bearing for the rotary table. Mahr has been a leading producer of high-precision bearings for over 75 years, and the mechanical bearing used in the MMQ 500 is more accurate than most air bearings and up to 70 times stiffer, making the system less susceptible to external forces such as vibration.

The MMQ 500 is also versatile and made to be a master multitasker.  The system can measure surface roughness according to applicable standards in the same setup as the form measurements.  There is also the option to measure lead, or the fine thread-like microstructure, which may be present on shafts produced by typical turning and grinding methods.

“Getting high precision, reliable results, as quickly as possible is key to support the production processes of today’s challenging manufacturing environments, and the MMQ 500 was designed with exactly this goal in mind,” said Pat Nugent, Vice President Product Management of Mahr, Inc.

Additional benefits of the MarForm MMQ 500 include:

  • Measures form, position, roughness, contour and lead in one setup
  • Intuitive, easy-to-use software
  • Highest axis accuracy
  • Best repeatability, including for difficult measuring tasks
  • Shortest floor-to-floor time on the market
  • Universally applicable for everything from small workpieces of a few millimeters to heavy workpieces up to 80 kg (176 lbs.)

Related Glossary Terms

  • centering

    centering

    1. Process of locating the center of a workpiece to be mounted on centers. 2. Process of mounting the workpiece concentric to the machine spindle. See centers.

  • computer numerical control ( CNC)

    computer numerical control ( CNC)

    Microprocessor-based controller dedicated to a machine tool that permits the creation or modification of parts. Programmed numerical control activates the machine’s servos and spindle drives and controls the various machining operations. See DNC, direct numerical control; NC, numerical control.

  • grinding

    grinding

    Machining operation in which material is removed from the workpiece by a powered abrasive wheel, stone, belt, paste, sheet, compound, slurry, etc. Takes various forms: surface grinding (creates flat and/or squared surfaces); cylindrical grinding (for external cylindrical and tapered shapes, fillets, undercuts, etc.); centerless grinding; chamfering; thread and form grinding; tool and cutter grinding; offhand grinding; lapping and polishing (grinding with extremely fine grits to create ultrasmooth surfaces); honing; and disc grinding.

  • metrology

    metrology

    Science of measurement; the principles on which precision machining, quality control and inspection are based. See precision machining, measurement.

  • microstructure

    microstructure

    Structure of a metal as revealed by microscopic examination of the etched surface of a polished specimen.

  • precision machining ( precision measurement)

    precision machining ( precision measurement)

    Machining and measuring to exacting standards. Four basic considerations are: dimensions, or geometrical characteristics such as lengths, angles and diameters of which the sizes are numerically specified; limits, or the maximum and minimum sizes permissible for a specified dimension; tolerances, or the total permissible variations in size; and allowances, or the prescribed differences in dimensions between mating parts.

  • turning

    turning

    Workpiece is held in a chuck, mounted on a face plate or secured between centers and rotated while a cutting tool, normally a single-point tool, is fed into it along its periphery or across its end or face. Takes the form of straight turning (cutting along the periphery of the workpiece); taper turning (creating a taper); step turning (turning different-size diameters on the same work); chamfering (beveling an edge or shoulder); facing (cutting on an end); turning threads (usually external but can be internal); roughing (high-volume metal removal); and finishing (final light cuts). Performed on lathes, turning centers, chucking machines, automatic screw machines and similar machines.