FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY:

ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR

VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
Heinrich Schwenke, Frank Härtig, Klaus Wendt, Franz Wäldele
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, Germany

ABSTRACT
Co-ordinate metrology has reached a very high state of development concerning
versatility and accuracy for common engineering parts. But this high accuracy often
cannot be achieved when measuring very small (<< 1mm) and very large features
(>>1m). For small features, the limiting component particularly is the probing system,
since conventional probing systems cannot be downscaled. The Physikalisch-Technische
Bundesanstalt (PTB) has developed a novel probing system, which combines tactile
probing with an optical sensing technique. With this system, probing elements with a
diameter down to 25 µm can be used on a conventional CMM. This system is presented
in the first part of the paper.
For large objects, the accuracy and stability of the CMM geometry become the main
source of uncertainty. The second part of the paper addresses this problem: A novel
method for error mapping and verification of large CMMs is presented, that uses the
highly accurate interferometric signal of a conventional laser tracker to set up a “virtual
artefact”.

1 IDENTIFYING CHALLENGES IN CMM METROLOGY

Today metrologists are confronted with the broad size spectrum of 3D measuring tasks in engineering.
They are ranging from micro-mechanical components with sub-millimetre features up to part sizes of
several meters. For the common midsize engineering parts, commercial CMMs with highly accurate
geometry and probing heads can even fulfil most challenging demands. But the extension of CMM
metrology to smaller structures is mainly limited by the probing system, while the limitation to measure
very large structures with high accuracy is particularly the machine geometry and its stability.

Small structures Medium size structures Large structures

- micro mechanics - machinery parts - space / defense / aircraft parts

- electrical / optical - gears - astronomic devices
connectors - engine blocks - car bodys
- health care - sculptured surfaces - special machine parts
- injection systems - gauges

geometry, environment
probing system

Figure 1: Sources of uncertainty in CMM metrology

This has lead PTB to address especially these two issues in its current research activity:
1. Probing systems for very small structures
2. Verification and error mapping procedures for very large CMM geometries
In the following two developments will be presented, each of them concerning one of these topics.

IDW Conference, Knoxville, May XX-XX

FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

2 THE OPTO-TACTILE PROBING SYSTEM

2.1 INTRODUCTION
As a result of the increasing miniaturisation of mechanical features and components, conventional tactile
coordinate metrology is often confronted with major problems. The smallest probing ball diameters of
conventional probing systems range from 0.5 mm to 0.2 mm. In these cases, measurement uncertainty
increases strongly, due in particular to elastic and plastic deformations in the probing system.
Furthermore, the high probing forces resulting from the mass of conventional systems tend to deform the
workpiece elastically or even plastically. Therefore optical methods are preferably applied instead.
Coordinate measuring machines for optical probing, in which a CCD camera with a high-quality optical
system is combined with an image processing unit, are particularly well suited for the measurement of
two-dimensional and high-contrast structures. However, difficulties often arise in the optical measurement
of real workpieces. Problems become particularly evident when very small bores (< 0,5 mm in diameter)
are to be measured, for example in wire draw dies, sieves or injection nozzles for diesel or spark ignition
engines. Many approaches are being made to further miniaturise mechanical probing systems
[1,2,3,4,5,6], the aim being contacting measurements of structures in the sub-millimetre range.
Nevertheless, most of these designs are directly based on the sensing of forces. At the Physikalisch-
Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) a sensor has been developed, which combines some advantages of
optical and tactile measuring techniques. Two variants of the system are presented in the following: a
sensor already commercially available and capable of measuring 2D structures and a sensor based on
the same concept, which makes full 3D measurements possible.
2.2 MEASUREMENT PRINCIPLE
2.2.1 2D Sensor
The principle of the opto-tactile sensor is described in the following: The position of the probing element is
determined with the aid of a CCD camera image-processing system (figure 2). An optical fibre serves as
the probing stylus. Its tip is shaped spherical and illuminated through the fibre. The optical fibre is
mounted on the optical system and the probing element is adjusted to the focal plane and close to the
optical axis. The light backscattered by the sphere is thus imaged on the CCD sensor as a bright spot
while the fibre above the probing element remains largely invisible to the camera as it is outside the focal
plane.
(4)

(3) (5)

(6)

(2)
(1)

Figure 2: Schematic view of the 2D microprobe: (1) work piece, (2) probing element, (3)
measuring camera, (4) CCD chip, (5) glass fibre, (6) light source.

When the probing element contacts the work piece surface and is thus shifted in relation to the camera,
the position of the light spot on the sensor is changed. This relative change in position can be evaluated
with sub-pixel accuracy. So far, an optical lens with ten-fold magnification has been used, which results in
a 1 µm pixel scale. When the circumference of the probing element is imaged over more than 50 pixels, a

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

lateral resolution of the measuring system of less than 0.05 µm can theoretically be obtained by sub-
pixeling. The resolution of the system actually achievable is, however, strongly dependent on the quality of
the imaged light spot. It is the fundamental advantage of the opto-tactile sensor that no force transmission
to a transducer is necessary to determine the position of the probing element after contacting the
workpiece. All influences due to an elastic or plastic deformation of the contact stylus are eliminated in this
way. The contact stylus may, therefore, be extremely thin. Fibre diameters of 15 µm and probing ball
diameters of 25 µm have been realised to date. Adhesive forces developing between work piece surface
and probing element (often induced by a thin water film on the surfaces) thus do not influence the
measurement result. In the case of conventional force-measuring probing systems, these effects may,
however, lead to a significant hysteresis.
2.2.2 3D Sensor
Many measurement tasks require the coordinate normal to the image plane of the camera to be
measured. This coordinate will in the following be referred to as the Z-axis. Such measurement may, for
example, be necessary when the depth of small blind holes or slots must be determined. The measuring
set-up has been extended for this purpose (Figure 3). A second camera arranged perpendicular to the
fibre allows the measurement of the Z-displacement of the probing element. If the position of the probing
element would be evaluated directly with the second camera, it would in general be optically hidden by the
work piece in case of probing in holes or slots. To prevent this, a second target has been provided to the
probe shaft. The distance between probing element and target is large enough to avoid that the optical
path of the second camera cannot be interrupted by the work piece.

(6)

(5) (2)

Figure 3: Sensor for opto-tactile 3D measurements with components: (1) probing element and
target for the XY-measurement, (2) target for the Z-measurement, (3) optical system for the
measurement of the XY-displacement, (4) optical system for the measurement of the Z-
displacement, (5) reflecting mirror, (6) camera for XY-evaluation, (7) camera for Z-evaluation,
(8) adjusting device.

In case of probing in the Z-direction, predominantly the horizontal part of the optical fibre bends. The
relative stiffness between probing element and upper target (in the direction of the fibre) is, however, very
high. Therefore the displacement of probing element and second target in the Z-direction is regarded as
being rigidly coupled. The motion of the upper target is determined by the additional optical system in the
line of measurement and evaluated in analogy to the XY-displacement. The 3D position of the probe is
calculated by combining the evaluations of both camera images.

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

2.3 MEASUREMENT RESULTS

For single point repeatability, a standard deviation below 0.05 µm was achieved. With the 2D system
(probe tip diameter 60 µm), on a ring gauge of 2 mm in diameter, a range of errors of ±0.2 µm has been
observed (see Figure 4a). The probing force was determined by a precision weighing instrument. A spring
constant of about 1 µN/µm was determined for the probing system. This results in a probing force of only
10 µN for an over-travel of 10 µm. In contrast, conventional probing systems apply forces ranging between
0.2 N and more than 1 N to the workpiece surface.
The 3D system so far only could be tested on a less accurate CMM (with significant short-periodic
deviations of the scale systems). The errors on a 8 mm hemisphere with a calibrated form error of 0.5 µm
are illustrated in figure 4b. The observed errors have been in the range of ±0,7 µm.

0.5 mm

4 6
Y [mm]

0 3 4
2
2
1
-0.5 0
mm
-6 -2
-1 -4
-2 -4
0
2 1 µm
1 µm 4 -6
mm
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
X [mm]

(a) (b)

Figure 4: Measurement results of a ring gauge of 2 mm in diameter and a calibrated

roundness of 80 nm (a). The observed measurement errors with a 2D system are in a range of
0.35 µm. The 3D system was tested on a 8 mm sphere with an calibrated form error of 0.5 µm
(b). The range of observed errors was ±0,7 µm.

Figure 5 shows an application at PTB, where the opto-tactile probing system was used for the
measurement of profile and helix parameters of a micro involute spur gear with 0.5 mm in diameter. The
calculation of the parameters was carried out by using a mathematical description which treats the flanks
of the gears as a surface [7]. This method allows the independence of placing the measuring points on
tracks in special cross-sections or cylindrical planes. In opposite to the common methods the measuring
points could be distributed freely over the surface.

2.4 APPLICATIONS
The opto-tactile sensor may be used especially in fields where conventional force-measuring probing
systems cannot be employed because of their size and the probing forces involved. Such fields are in
particular:
• small bores (e.g. injection nozzles)
• micro-mechanical components
• threads
• plug-in connections (microelectronics and optical wave-guide systems)
• very flexible workpieces (small wall thickness or elastic materials)

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

A particular advantage of the method is its combination with direct optical measurements. When a CNC-
controlled unit is used to pivot the fibre in front of the lens, the same camera can be used both in direct
optical and opto-tactile measurement mode. Since the reference system is embodied in the CCD chip of
the camera, a relative calibration between both modes is not required.

base cycle

involute 5 µm
surface

(a) (b)

Figure 5: (a) Probing a micro-mechanical gear (diameter=0.5 mm) with the opto-tactile probing
system. For scaling, a pinhead was located next to the gear. (b) The deviations from the ideal
involute surface as measured with the opto-tactile probing system.

3 MULTILATERATION TECHNIQUE FOR ERROR ASSESSMENT OF LARGE CMM

3.1 INTRODUCTION
For large objects, the accuracy and stability of the CMM geometry becomes the main source of
uncertainty. Therefore, especially in automotive and truck industry, where CMMs with axes over 10 m
lengths are widely utilised, a strong demand for accurate error mapping and verification of large CMMs
can be noticed.
Today geometric errors for large machines are assessed with conventional tools like laser interferometers,
level meters or straight edges. These methods, however, are very time-consuming and do not enable the
full analysis of all errors. Artefact-based methods, e.g. based on ball or hole-plates are limited in their
3
application to small and medium-sized CMMs (measuring volume < 1 m ) [8]. This technique can not be
applied to large CMMs, because the artefacts cannot be simply upscaled. They become too heavy and
hard to handle. Elasticity and thermal behaviour of the artefacts also become crucial [9]. Aiming to
overcome these problems, a new method for the error mapping and verification of large CMMs was
developed. It uses exclusively of the highly accurate interferometric signal of a conventional laser tracker
to produce a “Virtual 2D-artefact” (set of planar reference positions) by multilateration. This new method
was patented by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and will be presented in the following.

3.2 PRINCIPLE
This new technique is based on multilateration and exclusively uses the high-precision interferometric
signal of a laser tracker in order to produce a set of planar reference co-ordinates. This set of co-ordinates
can be evaluated as a “virtual 2D-artefact” comparable to the artefact ball plate [8]. It is based on the
concept that a two- or even three dimensional positions can be determined exclusively by length
measurements [10,11,12,13]. Figure 6 shows the basic set-up.
The laser tracker measures the distance between its reference point (ideally the intersection of its two
rotational axes) to a reflecting corner cube attached to the ram of the CMM. For error mapping, the CMM
moves along a set of n nominal positions within a selected plane. The laser tracker, placed approximately

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

in that plane in position A , follows the movements of the CMM automatically and records the distances to
the reflector in all the positions in the selected plane. This results in a set of distances L A,1..n . After the
measurement, the tracker is moved to another position B (again located approximately in that plane) and
once more a set of distances LB ,1..n is recorded. Then at least a third run in another position C is
performed, producing another set of distances. While three laser tracker positions are sufficient in
principle, it is in general beneficial to sample a fourth set of distances to reach a certain degree of
symmetry.

Position C

Position B

Position A

Figure 6: Set-up of measurement, illustrated for the case of a horizontal measuring plane: The
CMM is moved along the boundary of a horizontal plane. At defined positions the machine
stops and the lasertracker statically measures the distance to a retro-reflector mounted on the
ram of the CMM. The measurement is repeated at least three times, each time the laser
tracker is allocated in a different position within the observed plane.

Assuming that each set of distances was sampled to the same set of nominal positions P1..n and that all
nominal positions and all four laser tracker positions A, B, C , D are located in one plane, one can set up a
number of equations in the following form:

(A − P1, x ) + (Ay − P1, y ) = L A,1 , ......, (Ax − Pn, x ) + (Ay − Pn , y ) = L A,n ,

2 2 2 2 2 2
x

(B − P1, x ) + (B y − P1, y ) = LB ,1 , ......, (Bx − Pn , x ) + (B y − Pn, y ) = LB ,n ,

2 2 2 2 2 2
x

(C − P1, x ) + (C y − P1, y ) = LC ,1 , ......, (C x − Pn , x ) + (C y − Pn , y ) = LC ,n ,

2 2 2 2 2 2
x

(D − P1, x ) + (D y − P1, y ) = LD ,1 , ......, (Dx − Pn , x ) + (D y − Pn , y ) = LD ,n .

2 2 2 2 2 2
x

In total, we get a number of 4 ⋅ n equations to solve a set 2 ⋅ n + 8 unknowns, namely the planar co-
ordinates of the positions P1..n plus the co-ordinates of the four lasertracker positions A, B, C , D .
Therefore, a number of n = 4 positions is enough to solve the system. In practice, some 50 to 100

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

positions are measured, resulting in a highly over-determined system, which can be minimised e.g. by
least square algorithms [14]. As a result, we get a solution for co-ordinates of the machine positions P1..n
with a relatively high accuracy plus the lasertracker positions (which are irrelevant for the machine
calibration). By comparing P1..n with the co-ordinates P *1..n indicated by the CMM, we can determine the
errors of the CMM within the observed plane. One could look at the set of positions as a set of reference
points comparable to the sphere positions of a ball plate.
In practice, some more aspects have to be considered in the mathematics:
ƒ The laser tracking system is only a relative measuring device. For each laser tracker position a
primarily unknown length offset (common to al measurements of one laser tracker position) has to be
considered. This problem can be overcome by introducing another unknown variable in the equations
for each laser tracker position.
ƒ The laser tracker is located manually and therefore its positions are generally not exactly in the plane
of the positions P1..n . Therefore an additional unknown “out-off-plane distance” for each laser tracker
position is introduced in the system of equations. With a sufficient number of points n these additional
unknowns can be easily solved.
Based on the principles described above, software was developed, which can compute the positions P1..n
from the distance data of a minimum of 3 laser tracker positions. In the following, some technical aspects
are discussed. Experimental results of the proposed method are presented as well as the analysis of the
achievable accuracy.

3.3 TECHNICAL REALISATION

To perform the measurements a commercially available laser tracker and a custom designed retro-
reflector were used. Retro-reflectors normally used in conjunction with lasertrackers are either corner
cubes, which have a maximum angle of reflection in the range of ±30°, or cat’s-eyes with a higher
reflection angle but a reduced accuracy [15]. For our purpose, we designed a unit, where a corner cube is
mounted on a precision rotary axis in a way that the point of reflection is adjusted to be in the axis of
rotation. The reflector can be rotated by a stepper-motor to align it approximately to the direction of the
laser beam. As a result, we have an unlimited angle of reflection in one plane, preventing the
interferometric signal in all positions from interruption. Figure 7 shows this unit.

Figure 7: The reflector unit mounted on the ram of a horizontal arm machine. The axis of
rotation is oriented horizontally to perform measurements in a vertical plane.

For the lasertracker, customised software was developed, which also controls the alignment of the
reflector unit and stores the length data in an unambiguous data format. Figure 8 shows the set-up during
the experimental measurements for a horizontal plane.

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

Figure 8: Set-up of lasertracker and reflector unit during the measurements

In the following, we will present the results of the first measurements and discuss the accuracy achievable
with this set up.

3.4 FIRST APPLICATION AND RESULTS

Experiments have been performed in co-operation with Volkswagen [16] and AICON [17] on a horizontal
arm CMM of a measuring volume of 5m x 2m x 1.5m. Due to restrictions in the angle of rotation for the
lasertracker, it had to be placed outside the measuring volume of the CMM. Figure 9 shows the
configuration in a vertical plane. The plot shows the positions A, B, C , D of the lasertracker the positions
P1..n and the measured distances L A,1..n , LB ,1..n , LC ,1..n , LD ,1..n . In addition, the ellipses in figure 9 indicate,
how the measurement uncertainty of the interferometric length propagates to the uncertainties of the
positions P1..n . They strongly depend on the positions of the lasertracker in relation to the positions P1..n .

500
Z / mm
0

-500

-1000
ellipse scale

B C
-1500
0.008

-2000 D

A
-2500
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 X / mm 6000

Figure 9: Set-up adopted in a vertical plane during the experimental measurements. The
positions A, B,C,D of the lasertracker are indicated.

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

For the measurement set-up in the vertical plane (figure 9) the lasertrackers could not be positioned close
to the upper corner, since stands of 2 m height were not available during the measurements. Therefore,
the uncertainty of the straightness information in the lower X-axis was relatively high, as the ellipses
indicate.
When solving the set of equations resulting from the measurements according to figure 9 by a best fit
algorithm, inconsistencies in the multilateration net remain due to the uncertainty of the interferometric
length measurement. These inconsistencies (or, in mathematical terms: residuals) result from the
repeatability of the machine, the ambient conditions, the uncertainty of the axes of rotation of the tracker
etc and can give an idea of the accuracy of the method. Figure 10 shows these residuals after the best-fit
solution of the equations. The standard deviation of these residuals is in a range of 2 µm and the
maximum deviation is 8 µm. This is a very satisfactory result, considering that the specification limits for
the very most CMMs of this size are 10-50 times higher. Therefore, we assume that the method is suitable
even for verification or calibration of large CMMs of high accuracy. At present, for medium size CMMs with
specifications below 10 µm, an artefact-based method is still the better choice. Other limiting factors for
the use of a lasertracker on small and medium size CMMs are the dimension and weight of the
commercially available lasertrackers.
500
Z / mm
0

-500

-1000

vector scale
-1500 B C

0.007
-2000

A D
-2500
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 X / mm 6000

Figure 10: Inconsistencies in the length measurements after a best-fit solution of the
multilateration net. The arrows on the positions P1..n show the direction (pointing at the
associated lasertracker position A, B, C, D respectively) and the value of the residuals.

The last step to determine the systematic errors of the CMM is the comparison between the positions P1..n
with the indicated positions P *1..n of the CMM. This results in the determination of the errors of the CMM
within the observed plane. Figure 11 shows the results for a numerical corrected horizontal arm CMM (in
the plane perpendicular to the horizontal arm). The figure illustrates, that the observed errors of the CMM
are in a range of 100-150 µm. Visible are very systematic deviations, resulting from straightness errors of
the X-axis of the CMM and a correlated pitch error, which changes the orientation of the vertical stand
when moving along the X-axis.
In the near future, it is planed to do extensive experiment that include comparisons with other error
mapping techniques to verify the proposed methods. Other important aspects to discuss are the time
consumption, the hardware costs, complexity and robustness of the method. The large number of length
measurements performed is not necessarily extremely time consuming. The procedures were already
optimised to a level that the measurement of a complete plane with approximately 100 positions (including
4 relocations of the lasertracker) does not take more then 3 hours, almost independent from the size of
the CMM. This is mainly due to the fact that the effort for the manual alignment is relatively limited and
that the measurement of one single set of length can be completely automated. The hardware costs for
the lasertracker and the reflector unit today are in the range of 150,000-200,000$. For a service provider,

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

a CMM manufacturer or e.g. a large automotive company with many CMMs to be verified, this might be a
reasonable investment. In many cases, the lasertracker might be used for other purposes, too. The
complexity of the method, which is due to the large amount of data and the computations involved can be
minimised by well designed software, that not only supports the data handling, but also helps the operator
to go to the necessary procedures. For the robustness of the method the over-constrained characteristic
might be very helpful. Errors during the measurement appear as large residuals in the multilateration net,
helping the operator to identify the reasons for the inconsistencies.

500
Z / mm
0

-500

-1000

vector scale
B C
-1500

0.200
-2000
A D
-2500
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 X / mm 6000

Figure 11: Observed errors of a large horizontal arm CMM in the plane perpendicular to the
horizontal arm. A significant straightness error of the X-axis and the pitch of the vertical stand
can clearly be recognised.

3.5 Outlook
The benefits of the presented method can be summarised as:
• potential high accuracy
• flexible application to large CMMs of any size (up to 20 m axis length),
• almost direct traceability to the unit of length “metre” by calibration of the laser interferometer,
• only one laser tracker is needed,
• even CMMs with software compensation of geometric errors can be checked and verified.
In a current research project in collaboration with two industrial partners, PTB is further developing the
presented method towards an accurate method to:
a) verify large CMMs on a regular base
b) perform a complete error mapping of CMMs e.g. for numerical compensation of systematic errors or to
assess the residual errors as input data for the “Virtual CMM” [18].
Since the planar reference positions can be considered as a “virtual 2D artefact”, it is possible to have a
direct interface to the software Kalkom [19] is achieved. This software can compute all so called “rigid
body errors” plus the dominant elastic errors from the data [9]. Therefore step b) is a straightforward step,
which will be addressed within the next weeks.

4 CONCLUSIONS
Important future tasks in CMM metrology have been identified in the miniaturisation of probing systems
and the development of accurate procedures for the verification and error mapping of large CMM
geometries. For both subjects, solutions have been presented, which make use of optical techniques.

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FUTURE CHALLENGES IN CO-ORDINATE METROLOGY: ADDRESSING METROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR VERY SMALL AND VERY LARGE PARTS
H. Schwenke, F. Härtig, K. Wendt, F. Wäldele, PTB-Braunschweig

The opto-tactile probing system for the tactile probing of features in the sub millimetre structure size on
conventional CMMs has been presented. It has proven to provide a high accuracy for 2-dimensional
measurements combined with very low probing forces. The 2-dimensional system is already being used in
an industrial environment, where the system has shown high reliability and robustness as well as a high
user acceptance due to its relative simple handling. The 3-dimensional system so far only exists as a
laboratory device. Unlike the 2D-system, it requires an additional camera and a more elaborated set-up.
But the rapid technological development in the field of micro-mechanics requires a probing system with full
3D-capability, compatible to conventional probes. It is, therefore, planned to develop the 3D-prototype
sensor into a measuring system appropriate for industrial use.
For verification and error mapping of large CMM the planar multilateration has been presented, which
produces a “Virtual 2D artefact”. By this patent pending method it is possible to assess systematic errors,
even of very large CMMs with high accuracy. To perform the measurements, a conventional laser tracker
and a custom designed reflector unit are used. The software to control the tracker and the reflector unit
have been developed at PTB in collaboration with the industrial partner AICON. Since the first
experiments produced very promising results, it is planed to set-up a commercial product or service, which
may make the error mapping of large and very large CMMs possible with an unprecedented accuracy.

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Reports No. 1155:41-47.
[3] Zhang, G.X. , Yang, S.W., 1995, A 3D probe for measuring small blind holes, Annals of CIRP, 44/1:
461-464.
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