The calibration and error compensation techniques for an Articulated Arm CMM with two parallel rotational axes

The calibration and error compensation techniques for an Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring Machine (AACMM) with two parallel rotational axes are proposed. An improved six-parameter D–H model is established. The reversal techniques are used to calibrate the parallelism errors, arm lengths and zero position of the AACMM. The effects of the bending and torsion deformations caused by the gravity of the arms are removed. The experiments prove that the calibration method is simple and the measurement expanded uncertainty (2uc2uc) of the developed AACMM with a measuring range of (∅200–∅1000 mm) × 250 mm is less than 10 μm after error compensation.

► A new structure of Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring Machine (AACMM) with two parallel rotational axes is designed.
► A six-parameter model based on D–H model is established.
► A series of calibration methodology for this type of AACMM are proposed.