Contrary to what one might think, the brand Sheffield actually has nothing to do with the city of Sheffield, England.  The origin of what is now Sheffield dates back to 1906, when Oscar Polk founded the City Machine and Tools Works in Dayton, Ohio, as a manufacturer of thread gages.  By 1933, the company had been renamed Sheffeld Gage Corporation.

Over the years, the company has operated under a variety of corporate umbrellas and affiliations, including operating as divisions of Bendix, Warner & Swasey, Cross & Trecker, Giddings & Lewis, ThyssenKrupp AG, and presently, Hexagon AB of Sweden.  Today, Sheffield is one of the market leading brands within the Hexagon Metrology group.  

The Sheffield name has been synonymous with innovation in Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM)  over nearly 40 years of production.  Many of the technologies and techniques pioneered on Sheffield CMMs have become ubiquitous on nearly all CMMs.  The name "Cordax", the Sheffield term for a coordinate measurement machine, became almost interchangeable with the term CMM, with many companies maintaining "Cordax Rooms" for their equipment.  Some Sheffield innovations in the category include:

• 1965: Sheffield introduces the Cordax 3-axis CMM, the first US-made CMM.
• 1969: First demonstration of a DCC CMM
• 1978: First microprocessor integrated into a CMM
• 1981: First use of aluminum alloys in a CMM
• 1986: First use of MEA (Microprocessor-enhanced accuracy / computer error compensation) on a CMM
• 1986: The first "Ring Bridge" CMM
• 1996: First use of a polymer granite cast base for a CMM
• 1996: First use of recirculating ball bearings on a CMM

Sheffield Coordinate Measurement Machines are primarily assembled in Hexagon Metrology Inc's  9,500 square meter facility in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  A worldwide network of representatives, distributors and service technicians provide local product support no matter where you business might be. In North America, the Sheffield brand is managed by Hexagon Metrology, Inc.