Design of an ultra-high precision machine for form measurement

Abstract Companies are steadily developing more complex and small scale products to be more competitive. This leads to an increasing demand for high precision machines for the measurement and characterization of products. Moreover, to improve the characterization through traceability chain, national and international laboratories are regularly increasing the accuracy level of the calibration of standards. This is done through the development of ultra-high precision measuring machines. The LNE (French National Metrology Institute) is developing a new machine for cylindrical and spherical form measurement with a nanometric level of accuracy. The Dissociated Metrology Technique (DMT) has been applied in order to achieve the targeted level of accuracy. This paper aims at providing details on the design process starting from the design requirement to the final system. The design method as well as the used design concepts is described. The developed machine is also presented and its current limitations are discussed.