The crosshair laser is a positioning aid for CNC-machining centers with pod and rail table or matrix table.

It is primarily used whenever it is difficult to position the suction cups by eye and there is a danger of damaging the cups by a collision with the tool, because of complicated milling contours.

Mode of operation: A laser is fixedly installed in the aggregates support. The machine can either determine the ideal positions for the suction cups using a software or the operator has to enter them into a program. Then, the machine successively moves to each suction cup position and the projected crosshair shows where the operator has to put the suction cups.

Sometimes, the entire workpiece contour can be traced by the laser in a kind of simulation to check the positions of suction cups and workpiece.

• Advantages:
• Compared to other systems like LED light strip, contour laser and LED positioning display it is very cost-effective and simple.
• Due to its mode of operation positioning and reading errors by the operator are almost completely prevented.
• It can not only be used on pod and rail tables
• Simulation possible
• Disadvantages:
• The crosshair is difficult to be seen in bad light conditions
• Compared to other systems it is a very time-consuming procedure since the machine moves to each single position.

Alternative term

• Point laser (because a single laser point can not be seen easily, often a crosshair or something similar is projected)