Design of a new error-corrected co-ordinate measuring machine – Jim Bryan

To meet the demands of new programs and to improve the relationship between machining and inspection capabilities, new measurement methods and tools must be continually investigated. At Lawrence Livermore, needs are often such that we must design and build our own precision tools, as was the case for the diamond turning machine (DTM No. 3) described previously 1 . The concept presented here for a new error-corrected coordinate-measuring machine is intended to upgrade our inspection-accuracy capability by at least a factor of ten. Because the machine is designed to satisfy the fundamental principles of measurement in the strictest sense, its accuracy can be improved as technology develops, without either total overhaul or the fabrication of a new machine. In a sense, this is then the ‘perfect’ machine. This design has been nicknamed “Ultimat.”