Intermittent process hybrid measurement system on the machining centre

Abstract

This study introduces the development of a hybrid measurement system integrated on a machining centre to carry out the possible intermittent measurement of a workpiece. The developed hybrid measurement system principally consists of a MP10 touch trigger probe system, a circular triangulation laser probe system, and the measurement software. The touch trigger probe system was primarily used to measure the regular geometric features, whereas the circular triangulation laser probe system was adopted to inspect the freeform surface part of a test carrier with the help of the developed measurement software. An adjustment device consisting mainly of an adjustment unit, a joint unit, and an assembly unit, was designed and manufactured to minimize the cosine error caused by the assembly inaccuracy for the laser probe. The measuring uncertainty analysis experiments for both the touch trigger probe system and the non-contact laser probe system were investigated by using a calibrated standard sphere and the HP5529A laser interferometer system, respectively. The information in the whole measuring system – which comprised a personal computer, a CNC machining centre controller, a Renishaw MP10 touch probe system, and the controller of a Wolf & Back OTM3A20 circular triangulation laser probe system – was integrated technically. The measurement software was also developed to simulate the measuring path, prevent collision, and generate the corresponding measuring NC codes. The developed system can also be used to digitize the data points of a 3D small complex workpiece, such as a tooth model and an IC part. A carrier, combined with free form surface and regular geometric feature referred to in the ISO 10791-7 cutting test standard, was designed, manufactured and inspected in order to evaluate the performance of the developed hybrid measuring system. The measurement results of this carrier were verified through a CNC coordinate measuring machine, with satisfactory consistency. According to the measuring results, the developed hybrid measuring system was successfully and effectively used to carry out the intermittent measurement.