Author(s)

J. W. McBride, M Hill, J. Loh & D. Zhang

Abstract

Sensitivity of a 3-D surface mapping system to environmental perturbations J.W. McBride, M. Hill, J. Loh & D. Zhang Mechanical Engineering, University of Southampton, UK Abstract A newly developed three-axes coordinate measurement machine, coupled with a confocal laser sensor, has been housed in a temperature-controlled laboratory. Initial results of three-dimensional (3-D) measurements taken off a NAMAS (TVational Accreditation of Measurement and Sampling) certified sphere were found to vary significantly with large errors. Evaluation of the possible sources of errors included drift in ambient temperature, positioning inaccuracies, and mechanical set-up errors such as orthogonality and straightness of axes. This paper investigates the sensitivity of the measurement system towards environmental perturbations, looking particularly at the influence of temperature drift. The laboratory's temperature was logged over a period of time and the data subsequently charted. Bas

Keywords