Volumetric distortion assessment of a five-axis machine by probing a 3D reconfigurable uncalibrated master ball artefact

In this paper, a method is proposed that uses an artefact assembled in situ and exploiting the on-machine probing capability to perform a rapid volumetric distortion assessment of a five-axis machine. The 3D reconfigurable uncalibrated master ball artefact (RUMBA) is an assembly of the machine pallet and an adjustable number of master balls located within the machine working and probing envelop. The artefact design philosophy allows flexibility in the number and positions of the balls thus conferring the reconfigurability attribute. Reconfigurability allows adaptation of the artefact to the machine topology and geometry and its construction around a fixture and workpiece to reduce disruption to machine production. On the down side, the artefact is uncalibrated as its construction concept hinders precise knowledge of its geometry. During a test, combinations of all the machine axes are used to move and probe the master balls. A mathematical model is developed in order to identify the setup errors of each master ball and the probe. Simultaneous identification of the rotary axes’ linear offset with the setup errors is proposed to improve the parameter estimation and volumetric distortion prediction. The machine contribution to the volumetric distortion is then computed from the ball centre data excluding the setup errors. Tests are conducted in a laboratory on a horizontal machining centre. The results show that the proposed mathematical procedure is capable of removing the influence of the uncalibrated artefact geometry, excluding scale, and that the proposed design is suited to the machine environment.