NURBS-based fast geometric error compensation for CNC machine tools

In this paper, a novel method for the compensation of geometric errors of CNC machine tools is presented. The key idea is to use the basis functions of the setting NURBS path to approximate its error compensation function and to generate a new compensated NURBS path. In this way, both the setting and the compensated NURBS path have the same NURBS form. More importantly, the control points of the error compensation function can be obtained by simply calculating the positioning deviations of the control points of the setting NURBS path using the error model. A high compensation accuracy can be achieved through the systematic insertion of new knots, which creates new control points and raises the flexibility of NURBS in representing the error compensation function. The real-time interpolation of the compensated NURBS path completes the error compensation automatically. Simulations and experiments have shown that the new method delivers the same positioning accuracy as a model-based real-time geometric error compensation method does, but without additional real-time CPU loading. The proposed method can also be implemented in the post-processor of a CAM system for off-line compensation.