Traceable on-machine tool coordinate measurement through the integration of a virtual metrology frame in large machine tools

Metrological traceability and micrometre-level measurement uncertainty are the main research challenges towards traceable coordinate measurement on large machine tools. The impact of time- and space-varying thermal conditions on the machine tool structure is the major uncertainty contributor to the uncertainty budget. Aiming to minimise this influencing factor, this research proposes the use of integrated multilateration as a virtual metrology frame in combination with the machine tool controller information to characterise the position and orientation of every coordinate measurement performed by the machine tool. Experimental results demonstrate that measurement uncertainty is within an 18-micrometre range and assess the required metrological traceability