On-site calibration method of the AACMM based on a high-precision CNC machine tool

An articulated arm coordinate measuring machine (AACMM) is a kind of instrument used to test workpieces in the industrial field, and its measurement uncertainty depends on the on-site environmental factors to a certain extent. If there is a problem with the AACMM during on-site testing, it needs to be re-calibrated to ensure the measurement uncertainty. In this work, a fast on-site calibration method for the AACMM is proposed using a high-precision computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool. The AACMM is fixed on the machine tool table. The calibration artifact is clamped on the machine tool spindle. This calibration artifact can move to any point in the global space of the AACMM along with the operation of the spindle. Then, a virtual calibration artifact with calibration points is achieved using the CNC machine tool. The positions of these points are calculated using the improved Hammersley sequence. The calibration method using a high-precision CNC machine tool is experimentally verified through the single-point articulation performance test of ASME B89.4.22-2004 and the length measurement test of ISO 10360-12. The calibration method proposed in this work only uses an on-site high-precision CNC machine tool, one of the most common machines in many industrial fields, as the calibration instrument for the AACMM calibration. No extra equipment is required, which is convenient and beneficial to calibrate the AACMM. In addition, the CNC machine tool can construct different kinds of virtual structures for the AACMM calibration, such as virtual rods, virtual circles, virtual balls and even non-uniform 3D artifacts with complex curved surfaces. This may give rise to many novel calibration methods and further improve the calibration accuracy.