Touch trigger has been described as a “woodpecker” approach – measure a point, move to another location, measure again, and repeat until the job is done. It is therefore capable of handling low part throughputs and generous measuring tolerances. Yet since the stylus is never in contact with the surface between the measuring points, this method generates less data and may provide an incomplete overview. And as the user must reposition before each measurement, the process can be slower than a measurement with scanning path.

Scanning comprises a fluid and continuous movement that can quickly and accurately measure hundreds or thousands of points along a path as the stylus moves across a surface. This faster workflow not only returns far more data at much higher throughputs, it offers greater accuracy while saving both time and money. Users who have previously considered touch-trigger measurement to be “good enough” will find they are missing out on the many substantial benefits that only scanning can provide.