Recently there have been a number of new designs of micro-CMM probes. However, there are still some issues with probe design that need addressing.
e.g.:

• many probe designs have relatively high probing forces, or long over-travel distances
• surface forces can adversely affect the performance of probes that do not operate in an oscillatory mode
• some probes do not operate in three axes and many do not operate with equal probing forces in each of their axes

The probe design developed at the National Physical Laboratory addresses all of these issues.

The NPL micro-CMM probe uses a triskelion flexure arrangement with in-built piezoelectric
sensing and actuation to allow oscillatory behaviour.