Renishaw's PH20 PLUS Adds 107 Millimetres of CMM Reach

Renishaw showed the PH20 PLUS at IMTS 2026, reported on 14 September. It succeeds the PH20 five-axis touch-trigger CMM head launched in 2010, and the headline change is reach: maximum working length of 300 mm from the A-axis centre with a 50 mm stylus, an increase of 107 mm over the original and more than 50 percent overall.

The enabler is a redesigned kinematic mount that supports longer probe configurations, improving access to part features that can be difficult to reach. Alongside the head, Renishaw introduced PE20 modular probe extensions in various lengths, a PCR20 powered rack for automated probe changing, and MRS2 rail mounting options.

Compatibility is the part that decides whether a quality department will actually buy it. The head works with existing TP20 modules through the PB20 adaptor, integrates with Renishaw's UCC controller, and is described as a direct drop-in replacement for existing installations. Nathan Fielder, product manager, said existing PH20 users will be able to adopt the new head and reuse existing part programmes and measurement strategies while benefiting from increased reach and greater flexibility.

Reach limits are the usual reason a feature ends up measured in a second setup, or quietly dropped from the inspection plan. Re-fixturing is also where CMM throughput disappears — the machine is fast, the handling is not. Adding half again the reach without requalifying every routine is a narrower proposition than a new machine, and a much easier one to justify.