CMM Machine Guide
A CMM machine is a coordinate measuring machine, which is a device that measures the geometry of physical items by sensing discrete points on the surface of the targeted item with a probe. There are many types of probes which are adopted in CMM systems, including mechanical, optical, laser, and even white light. The probe position may be manually controlled by an onsite operator or it may also be computer controlled based on the computer programs. Either way is determined by the working circumstances.In practice, CMM often specify a probe's position in terms of the displacement from a reference position in a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. This is designed with XYZ axes.
Moreover, in order to moving the probe along the X, Y, and Z axes, many machines also allow the probe angle to be managed to allow measurement of surfaces that would otherwise be unreachable. In the machine tool industry, the CMM equipment is widely used to do precision measurement for the work piece as well as other objects such as angles, tools, etc. this measure is to achieve the intended accurate processing within the requested standard.
CMM in Machine Tool Industry
The deployment of CMM in the grinding process is very common. Machine tools are the most fundamental capital goods for manufacturers. They play the critical role that determines the final output of the end products. The quality of the machine tool, based on this reason, is the key point of the quality of the manufacturers’ final end products.
The inventory of grinding machine tools varies from time to time. Grinders such as internal cylindrical grinding machine, external cylindrical grinding machine, surface grinding machine, and other models can work with the CMM to enhance the accuracy. For grinding machines such as external grinding and internal grinding machines, the role of an installed built-in CMM machine is very important.
A cylindrical grinder may have multiple grinding wheels for different purposes. The work piece is rotated and fed past the wheel(s) in order to form a cylinder. It is utilized to make precision rods, tubes, bearing races, bushings, and many other parts. Besides the cylindrical grinding, it is the toll grinding as the second largest market in the metal working industry. A roll grinder is a powered grinding tool or machine tool that used for grinding process, which is a common type of machining that utilizes abrasive wheel or wheels as the cutting means for processing. Each grain of abrasive on the wheel's surface cuts a small chip from the work pieces through shear deformation method.
All these grinders are designed with internal structure. Those internal structures are connected with the power supply. Spindles and powers of a grinder are decisive parameters that influence the working capacity. Since there are belt grinder, bench grinder, cylindrical grinder, surface grinder, tool & cutter grinder, jig grinder, gear grinder, die grinder, angle grinder, and roll grinder, so the design of the power is dependent on the intended goals.
CMM in Milling
Besides the grinding process, milling process also needs CMM as well. Now after the invention of the machining centers and the programmed controlling system, the standards of machining become more and more rigid compared with the standards before. Besides the CNC machining centers, there are also CNC turning centers, CNC milling machines, CNC tapping and milling centers, CNC drilling and milling centers, etc. Those milling based machines are also very strong in machining all kinds of work pieces with complicated profiles.
Many machine tool manufacturers tend to integrate CMM devices into their machine tools today, because it can apply a wider field of precision standards to the machine tool sector. Among all the models, machining centers, either vertical or horizontal, are most powerful in all kinds of heavy cuttings especially if the machining centers are designed with double column structure. Double columns are a convenient design for the installation of the CMM devices inside the machine tool frame. As the era of Industry 4.0 comes in the 21st century, all kinds of machine tools are evolving towards more versatile with the help of CMM accuracy confirming system in order to perfect the work pieces.
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