Non-rigid-body behaviour can have a considerable effect on the overall accuracy performance of machine tools. These errors originate from bending of the machine structure due to change in distribution of its own weight or from movement of the workpiece and fixture. These effects should be reduced by good mechanical design, but residual errors can still be problematic due to realistic material and cost limitations. One method of compensation is to measure the deformation directly with sensors embedded in a metrology frame. This paper presents an FEA-based design study which assesses finite stiffness effects in both the machine structure and its foundation to optimise the sensitivity of the frame to the resulting errors. The study results show how a reference artefact, optimised by the FEA study, can be used to detect the distortion
