An evaluation of cleaning methods for micro-CMM probes

Abstract

To support the manufacture of complex products made of multiple micro-parts, a traceable and accurate 3D-measurement system with sub-micron accuracy is required. This paper investigates the use of a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) tactile-micro-probe for 3D-coordinate metrology on the micro-scale. It will show that probe-tip contamination may be a significant source of error for such tactile-probing systems. Even in a clean-room environment, there are many types of contaminants that may affect dimensional measurement accuracy. These mainly come from repeated contact between probe tip and artefact material. To address this issue a number of cleaning methods were utilized to remove contaminants from the MEMS tactile-micro-probe sensor. Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the efficacy of each cleaning method. Initial findings on different cleaning methods including ultrasonic, plasma, micro-beam melting, electron beam melting and cryogenic cleaning have shown that the latter is a feasible process.