Methods for Performance Evaluation of Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring Machines

The scope of this Standard pertains to the performance evaluation of Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring Machines (AACMMs). While any number of rotational joints can be evaluated, the Standard focuses on the more common configurations commercially available today and is limited to seven joints. The Standard addresses purely manual machines, so no motorized axes are addressed in the current document. While the application of this class of measuring machine continues to grow, at this point in time only contact probes are considered and optical noncontact probes are specifically excluded. This Standard establishes requirements and methods for specifying and testing the performance of AACMMs. In addition to clarifying the performance evaluation of AACMMs, this Standard seeks to facilitate performance comparisons among machines by unifying terminology, general machine classification, the treatment of environmental effects, and data analysis. This Standard attempts to define the simplest testing methods capable of yielding adequate results for most AACMMs and it is not intended to replace more complete tests that may be suitable for special applications.