Evaluation of form error at semi-spherical tools by use of image processing

In this study, a method is proposed for dimensional measurements of semi-spherical parts for the standard tool electrodes used in Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM). The tool electrode to be measured is magnified by a profile projector. Pictures of some equatorial plane projections of the electrodes are captured by a digital camera before and after machining. The pictures were calibrated with the geometric camera calibration. Then, the profiles are extracted from their background using the adaptive threshold, which is an image processing method. 2D coordinates are first obtained and then converted to 3D coordinates. Using the obtained data, sphericity and radius are calculated by means of the minimum zone method. It is seen that the proposed method can be used for determining the EDM tool electrodes’ form error.