Styli

The different shaft materials

The shaft material used and the shaft cross-section have the greatest influence on the stylus rigidity. For standard styli, ZEISS uses shafts made of a high-strength carbide. These represent a good compromise in terms of weight, deflection and thermal linear expansion. Styli with ThermoFit shafts are particularly light, stiff and have only a small linear expansion under the influence of heat. They are therefore particularly suitable for applications in the M3XXT range and for long styli with a large shaft thickness. ZEISS is the only supplier to use a high-strength Grade 5 titanium alloy for the adapters. This gives the adapters high rigidity and makes them significantly lighter than steel adapters and also makes them anti-magnetic and corrosion-resistant.

The suitable sphere material

Usually a sphere is used as the stylus element. This sphere can be made of different materials and is suitable for different applications depending on the material. The standard are ruby spheres, but in combination with continuous scanning they can wear out or apply material to some surfaces. An alternative is silicon nitride, which has less material application when scanning aluminum, for example. Diamond coated or solid diamond spheres are especially suitable for scanning hard surfaces or soft aluminum alloys. Even sharp edges or single point scans with high load can be reliably performed. They have a very long durability, as they do not wear out and do not raise material.