Design of a high accuracy CMM machine working in the shop floor

One of the key features of advanced manufacturing technologies is the metrology of geometric quantities. Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) now are widely used to perform relevant measurements. Normally, the use of CMMs in traditional quality control rooms, isolated from the production floor, often proves unsuitable for effective and timely feedback on the manufacturing process. Therefore, the use of a flexible measuring system such as a CMM on the workshop is very necessary. However, CMMs, like any other measuring system, are sensitive to environmental factors such as humidity, suspended dust and oil, vibrations, and especially temperature. For this reason, measuring machines should be designed with features that make them more resistant to the environmental influences on shop floor operations. The main goal of our project was to enhance accuracy of a CMM on the floor conditions by design improvements. A Cantilever-type CMM was build with some improved designed features and error software compensation was applied to improve the CMM accuracy. The result was a CMM machine that provides high travel stability, high accuracy, and affordability.