Influencing factors of rotary table geometric error measurement using four-station laser tracers

Abstract

Abstract The laser tracer multi-station measurement method has outstanding performance in computerized numerical control (CNC) rotary table geometric error measurement and separation. However, external factors, such as layout, selected distance between the target mirror and measurement coordinate system, uncertainty of the length measurement, selection of measuring radii for the rotary table, and installation deviation from the target mirror center to the rotary table surface, have negative effects on the results. In this research, the position dilution of precision in the global positioning system measurement process is introduced to evaluate the influence of the laser tracers’ positions on measurement errors. The optimal measurement layout of the laser tracer is used to select the distance between the target mirror and XY plane of the laser tracer measurement coordinate system for the simulation. Then, the influence of the length measurement uncertainty on the laser tracer self-calibration and point measurement results used for calibration is examined based on the Monte Carlo simulation method. Different measurement radii in the rotary table are selected, and four-station laser tracers are used to perform the virtual measurement and evaluate the maximum uncertainty in the X, Y, and Z directions to further determine the best measurement radii of the CNC rotary table. Finally, the effects of the deviation of the target mirror installation center on the geometric error items of the CNC rotary table are quantitatively examined through a simulation. The analysis of the influencing factors in the geometric error measurement and separation process of the CNC rotary table can help further understand how the final results are formed, so as to control the influencing factors during the measurement process and finally optimize them in practice.