Five axis machine tool volumetric error prediction through an indirect estimation of intra- and inter-axis error parameters by probing facets on a scale enriched uncalibrated indigenous artefact

• Error motions and axis locations errors of a 5-axis machine tool are estimated.
• Facets on the machine table are probed as indigenous uncalibrated artefact.
• All machine errors are embedded into 3rd order cubic ordinary polynomials.
• 86 machine coefficients and the unknown artefact geometry are co-estimated.
• The model predictive capability is assessed against CMM metrology data.

The volumetric accuracy of five-axis machine tools is affected by intra-axis geometric errors (error motions) and inter-axis geometric errors (axes relative position and orientation errors). Self-probing of uncalibrated facets on the existing machine tool table is proposed to provide the necessary data for the self-calibration of the machine error parameters and of the artefact geometry using an indirect approach. A set of 86 non-confounded coefficients are selected from the ordinary cubic polynomials used to model both the intra- and inter-axis errors. A scale bar is added to provide the isotropic scale factor. The estimated model is then used to predict the actual tool to workpiece position. Experimental trials are conducted on a five-axis horizontal machining centre using its original unmodified machine table as an artefact. For validation purposes only, the estimated artefact geometry is compared to accurate coordinate measuring machine (CMM) measurements. A study of the volumetric error predictive capability of the model for selected subsets of estimated error coefficients is also conducted.