A Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) is a highly accurate electronic scale for the automatic measurement of 2 and 3 dimensional geometries. In a typical operation the CMM measures a set of user defined points, and then utilizes some internal logic to ascertain whether the inspected part meets the specifications. CMMs have received widespread acceptance among the manufacturing community, and in many instances are required as per supplier contract. Applications of CMMs vary from the measurement of simple 2D parts to complex 3D spatial frames (as for example in their use to measure the integrity of automobile frames). The primary objective of the proposed research is to investigate procedures for the efficient use of CMMs.
Two of the key parameters in CMM usage are the number of points measured, and the relative location of the points measured. In this thesis we firsts show that when these two inspection parameters are varied, for the same part, then different conclusions with regard to the part\u27s geometry may be drawn. Next we investigate the relationship between these two parameters and the reliability of the concluded data. Specifically we focus on a 2D circle, a 2D rectangle, and a 2D plane. The experiments were conducted on the Brown & Sharpe\u27s Coordinate Measuring Machine
