FROM THE TRADITIONAL MULTILATERATION TO THE INTEGRATED MULTILATERATION APPROACH: A ROADMAP TOWARDS THE AUTOMATIZATION OF VOLUMETRIC ERROR MAPPING PROCESS FOR LARGE MACHINE TOOLS

Abstract

Multilateration-based volumetric error mapping is gaining widespread adoption in the coordinate measurement machine and machine tool industry as the most effective approach for geometric characterization of large-size machines. In the traditional method, tracking interferometers are placed on the machine table while the measurement retro-reflector moves with the spindle. However, this approach has several limitations, including manual instrument manipulation and a sequential measurement scheme that hinders unattended execution. To overcome these limitations, the integrated multilateration method has been introduced, which addresses these challenges and reduces measurement uncertainty. This method offers the potential for fully autonomous volumetric error mapping of large-size machines and enables the development of new functionalities such as traceable coordinate measurement with large machine tools. This research presents the roadmap followed by the authors to automate the volumetric error mapping process for large machine tools. It outlines the current status of the technology, starting from the conceptual development and culminating in the experimental results obtained from real industrial machine tools.