Renishaw Pushes CMM Inspection Reach Past 300 mm with PH20 PLUS 5-Axis Touch-Trigger System

Renishaw has introduced the PH20 PLUS 5-axis touch-trigger system for coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), delivering more than a 50% increase in inspection reach over the original PH20 head. The target: features deep inside parts and in hard-to-reach areas that the existing head simply could not access.

Building on a proven platform

The PH20 PLUS builds on the measurement capabilities of the PH20, enabling high-speed touch-trigger measurement across a wider range of applications. That foundation matters. The PH20 touch-trigger system, launched in 2010, utilizes head motion technology from the REVO® 5-axis measurement system — and it has spent well over a decade earning its place on CMMs.

The headline hardware change is a redesigned kinematic mount that supports longer probe configurations. With a 50 mm stylus, the PH20 PLUS head offers a maximum working length of up to 300 mm — an increase of over 50% compared with the current PH20 system. That translates to an additional 107 mm of reach.

Compatibility over disruption

Renishaw is clearly betting that upgrade friction, not capability, is what stalls adoption. The PH20 PLUS maintains compatibility with the existing range of TP20 modules, excluding the extended force module, and can be configured to match the effective working length of existing PH20 system installations. It is fully compatible with Renishaw's UCC controller and integrates in the same way as the original PH20 system.

A new modular rack system supports automated and repeatable probe module changing, rounding out the package.

"With PH20 PLUS, we've focused on extending capability which we think will appeal to both existing PH20 customers and those with measurement requirements which could previously not be met by the existing head," said Nathan Fielder, Product Manager at Renishaw.

That framing is telling. This is not a reinvention — it is a reach extension aimed at shops already invested in the PH20 ecosystem, plus those whose measurement requirements previously ruled the head out entirely.

See it at IMTS