WEST DUNDEE, IL - July 11, 2025 - CARTO Ballbar Connect is Renishaw 's first smartphone app for the QC20 ballbar. Designed for swift and intuitive testing, it features a primary test sequence (3D Check) that runs a quick, static performance assessment on machine tools. The app uses on-machine macros to automate complex and repetitive tasks, allowing users to customize a single-line machine instruction for configuring and running a QC20 ballbar test. Renishaw’s QC20 ballbar delivers fast, efficient health checks for machine tool performance. It is a highly accurate, telescopic linear sensor tool that allows users to identify and diagnose error sources, minimize reactive maintenance and concentrate on valuable preventative measures.
CARTO Ballbar Connect allows users with less experience to run ballbar tests quickly, easily and with confidence. It gives a snapshot of machine tool performance and presents results in a single quantitative and visual way. For new users, the app quickly builds knowledge and confidence of the QC20 ballbar. The intuitive user interface and in-app animations help guide them through the test process, making ballbar an accessible and easy-to-use machine health tool. CARTO Ballbar Connect wirelessly connects to the QC20 ballbar for a streamlined flow of information, maximizing efficiency.
The 3D Check test sequence moves the ballbar to twenty-nine target points around a spherical volume, measuring the radius at each point. Using a single test sequence to capture static data for the entire sphere significantly reduces both the measurement time and user interaction required with the QC20 ballbar. Simplified single-line commands remove the need for extensive G-code knowledge. The app makes it easier to enter measurement parameters and refine the testing process. This streamlines test set-ups and makes ballbar testing accessible to all users.
The intuitive interface and in-app animations guide users, helping to build confidence in using the QC20 ballbar as a machine health tool. Once the 3D Check test sequence is complete, test results of all twenty-nine points in the sphere are presented in a single illustration, giving a clear snapshot of the machine's volumetric positioning performance and overall machine health. The spherical deviation is calculated as the difference between the maximum and minimum radial readings of those twenty-nine points, providing a clear and simple output, and allowing 3D Check to work as a 'go/no-go gauge' for confirming machine health. By monitoring these snapshots, users can easily identify significant changes or drift over time and can then schedule preventative maintenance.
Combining the Renishaw QC20 ballbar with the CARTO Ballbar Connect app simplifies the testing process. With in-app guidance throughout, users are supported at every stage of the process. The app is currently available for iOS devices and can be downloaded for free from the App Store.
