The Nanoscan can measure roughness and contour of practically any shape in just one pass with a single probe, the company says. The instrument has a stroke of 24 mm with a resolution of 0.68 nanometers over the entire measuring range. It is suited for producers of high-precision parts and assemblies in which contour and roughness features are critical, such as fuel injection components, transmission parts, pumps and valves for automotive, aerospace and medical applications. During operation, the workpiece surface is transferred to a laser interferometer through a tactile stylus tip. Because of the 0.6-nm resolution of the interferometer, workpiece surface structures can be recorded ranging from the sub-micrometer range to 24 or 48 mm, depending on the probe arm length. Measurement tasks can be set up and performed on the operator panel while CNC-controlled axes allow fully automatic measurement routines. The precision of the laser interferometer-based measuring head contributes to the measuring system's high linearity, the company says. With a low residual noise level in the range of 10 to 20 nm, the instruments are suitable for measuring roughness on optical components. Probing force is electronically controlled and can be set for each measurement individually to protect against surface damage and collisions.