Conventional profilometry scans sample surfaces from a single, fixed direction. This is only appropriate for measuring sufficiently flat samples, as opposed to cylindrical shapes that require a precise 360° rotation. For an application such as characterizing the helical cutting edge of a tool, a conventional machine would need multiple scans from different angles of the entire part, as well as significant post scan data manipulation. This is often too time consuming for QC applications that only require measurements from very specific regions. NANOVEA’S rotational stage solves this problem with simultaneous motion control of the lateral and rotational axes.