Role of optical measurement systems in analysing the surface topography of an industry standard component

Abstract

An optical measurement system is a device that does not require any physical contact and instead relies on images to accomplish the measurements. In this work, three different optical measurement methods such as focus variation, coherence scanning interferometry, and confocal microscopy were used to calibrate the topography data at an industrial scale. Due to its reliability in operation, the cutting-edge confocal fusion method was also incorporated. It was determined that the optical methods under investigation provided the most stable amplitude parameters (Sa, Sq, Sv, Sp, Sz,) when compared to the Mahr standard. When comparing the Sz and Sa parameters, the largest differences were found for the former. For the amplitude parameters, the Flexbar standard yielded the largest deviations, while the Sa parameter yielded only 34% and the Sz parameter yielded about 43%. When comparing several measurement methods, confocal fusion appears to be the most adaptable. Specifically, it fills a gap in knowledge that is typically filled by a hybrid approach involving the confocal technique and the focus variation approaches. The use of multiple measuring methods increases the reliability of optical methods and permits more accurate calibration of surface morphology.