Renishaw Encoders, Fluke 115 Multimeter, and a Procurement Manager’s Guide to TCO

I’ve spent six years as the procurement manager for a 320-person precision machining company, and I sign most of the purchase orders that keep our metrology tools running. I’ve tracked $220,000 in annual measurement-related spending, compared 70+ vendor quotes, and built the kind of spreadsheet that makes finance people nod and engineers roll their eyes. Here are the questions our team asks again and again—without the sales brochure language.

Quick map:

• Why do integrators keep specifying Renishaw products?
• Are Renishaw encoders worth the price premium?
• What is the best multimeter for a shop maintenance budget?
• How do you test a capacitor with a Fluke multimeter?

Why do integrators keep specifying Renishaw products?

Renishaw is a UK-based metrology company, not a generic encoder supplier. Their catalog covers coordinate measuring machine (CMM) probes, laser interferometers, Raman microscopes, and the encoder measurement systems that machine tools use for axis feedback. We don’t use every Renishaw product in a standard machine shop—the Raman microscopes are used by materials science customers, not our floor—but the others show up in almost every major capital project.

What makes them a default on many engineer’s specification sheets is not a logo. It’s the ecosystem. Renishaw publishes interface details, diagnostic software, and real tolerances. The support line answers with a human who knows the product, and that cuts commissioning time. For a buyer, fast commissioning means less downtime, and that’s money in the budget even if the sticker price is higher.

Are Renishaw encoders worth the price premium?

Let me give you a specific answer: sometimes yes, and on safety-critical axes, usually yes. We compared a Renishaw absolute encoder with a generic alternative for a new grinding machine axis in Q2 2024. The generic quote was $670 lower. But when I looked at four years of failure data from our own maintenance records, the generic units in vibrating environments failed twice as often. Each failure cost $390 in freight and labor on average—plus the cost of a machine sitting still. That erased the price gap before we even installed the first unit.

Renishaw’s published spec on their website may look like technical detail overload, but that detail is a financial document. If I know the maximum resolution, the thermal limit, and the installation tolerance before signing a PO, I can predict whether the axis will work on the first try. In the last three Renishaw encoder retrofits, our average first-time installation time was 2.1 hours. I’ll take that over a cheap part that saves money once and creates headaches for years.

What is the best multimeter for a maintenance shop?

“Best multimeter” is a loaded term. If you need data logging, a Fluke 87V is a better tool. If you need compact CAT IV safety, maybe something else. But the model I keep approving for our maintenance techs is the Fluke 115. It’s not the newest or flashiest, and that’s exactly the point.

The Fluke 115 is a true-RMS multimeter rated for CAT III 600 V. According to Fluke’s specification sheet at fluke.com, it measures resistance up to 40 MΩ, frequency, and capacitance up to 10,000 µF. That covers industrial line troubleshooting, motor-drive checks, and most component verification. We’ve had the same units in toolboxes for seven years. Calibration is simple, spare fuses are common, and the request on our purchasing system now reads “multimeter 115” because everyone knows the model.

If I were buying for a lab calibrator, I’d spec differently. But for hands-on shop maintenance, “the best” is the one that works with the least drama when you carry it up a ladder.

How do you test a capacitor with a Fluke multimeter?

Yes, the Fluke 115 has a capacitance mode, and the procedure is straightforward—if you discharge the capacitor first.

1. Disconnect it from power and let it discharge. Use an appropriate bleed resistor across the terminals for at least five seconds. A large electrolytic capacitor can store a dangerous voltage long after power is off.
2. Turn the rotary switch to the capacitance position. It’s marked with the capacitor symbol that looks like two parallel lines with a curve through one line.
3. Insert the probes. Black goes to COM; red goes to the middle input. Connect red to the positive terminal and black to the negative terminal for polarized capacitors. If you aren’t sure about polarity, use the insulated lead clips to avoid touching the terminals.
4. Read the display after it settles. A capacitor with a short across the plates will read near zero. An open capacitor may stay near zero or show over-range. A capacitor that has drifted too far from its rated value will read low or high by a noticeable amount.

Last summer, a technician walked over with a coolant pump capacitor reading 6.4 µF. The label said 330 µF. That part was clearly dead; replacing it fixed the pump’s intermittent overload trip. The Fluke 115 had already been used for the voltage check, so the extra diagnosis didn’t cost a cent.

What hidden costs should you look for before signing the PO?

I’ve learned to ask “what’s NOT included?” before asking what the price is. The quoted price should be the price on the day it arrives.

One quote for an encoder package came in $250 lower than Renishaw’s. The kicker was “free setup.” It turned out the setup software, configuration file, and expedited documentation added $425. Not because that supplier is uniquely awful—because I failed to ask for the complete list of line items in writing. Renishaw’s all-in quote was higher, but the total was predictable. It left no room for an invoice ambush.

Since then, every RFQ we send includes a request: “List all software, calibration, export, and expedite fees in the quote.” If a vendor won’t do that, it doesn’t matter how clever the hardware is. I can’t budget around a mystery.

Do I ever choose a cheaper encoder over Renishaw?

Yes. There is no reason to pay for absolute-rated high-resolution feedback on a conveyor transfer cart or an indexing pallet stopper. Those axes are not making parts. My team and I use simple limit switches or lower-cost incremental encoders for non-critical movement. We save the serious metrology budget for situations where a position error creates a scrapped part or a dangerous collision.

The conventional wisdom is “always buy the best.” That’s lazy thinking. The smarter question is: what is the cost of that encoder failing? If the answer is a few minutes of downtime, buy something cheap. If the answer is an $8,000 aerospace bracket hitting a spindle, Renishaw encoders are the cheapest insurance you can write.

That nuance is why we keep Renishaw as a preferred supplier—not as an automatic choice.