Design of a Measurement System for Six-Degree-of-Freedom Geometric Errors of a Linear Guide of a Machine Tool.

This paper proposes a system utilizing a Renishaw XL80 positioning error measuring interferometer and sensitivity analysis design to measure six-degree-of-freedom (6 DOF) geometric errors of a machine tool's linear guide. Each error is characterized by high independence with significantly reduced crosstalk, and error calculations are extremely fast and accurate. Initially, the real light path was simulated using Zemax. Then, Matlab's skew ray tracing method was used to perform mathematical modeling and ray matching. Each error's sensitivity to the sensor was then analyzed, and curve fitting was used to simplify and speed up the mathematical model computations. Finally, Solidworks was used to design the set of system modules, bringing the proposed system closer to a product. This system measured actual 6 DOF geometric errors of a machine tool's linear guide, and a comparison is made with the Renishaw XL-80 interferometer measurements. The resulting pitch, yaw, horizontal straightness, and vertical straightness error deviation ranges are ±0.5 arcsec, ±3.6 arcsec, ±2.1 µm, and ±2.3 µm, respectively. The maximum repeatability deviations for the measured guide's pitch, yaw, roll, horizontal straightness, vertical straightness, and positioning errors are 0.4 arcsec, 0.2 arcsec, 4.2 arcsec, 1.5 µm, 0.3 µm, and 3 µm, respectively.

Design of a Measurement System for Simultaneously Measuring Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Geometric Errors of a Long Linear Stage.

This study designs and characterizes a novel precise measurement system for simultaneously measuring six-degree-of-freedom geometric motion errors of a long linear stage of a machine tool. The proposed measurement system is based on a method combined with the geometrical optics method and laser interferometer method. In contrast to conventional laser interferometers using only the interferometer method, the proposed measurement system can simultaneously measure six-degree-of-freedom geometric motion errors of a long linear stage with lower cost and faster operational time. The proposed measurement system is characterized numerically using commercial software ZEMAX and mathematical modeling established by using a skew-ray tracing method, a homogeneous transformation matrix, and a first-order Taylor series expansion. The proposed measurement system is then verified experimentally using a laboratory-built prototype. The experimental results show that, compared to conventional laser interferometers, the proposed measurement system better achieves the ability to simultaneously measure six-degree-of-freedom geometric errors of a long linear stage (a traveling range of 250 mm).