A system is provided for programming workpiece feature inspection operations for a coordinate measuring machine. The system includes a computer-aided design (CAD) file processing portion, a geometric relationship analyzer, an inspection motion path generation portion, and a user interface including an editable plan representation of a current workpiece feature inspection plan, a workpiece inspection program simulation portion configured to display a 3D view including geometric features and inspection operation representations, and a context sensitive menu portion. The context sensitive menu portion displays a context sensitive relational command menu that indicates a valid set of relational commands including relational feature or relational measurement commands operable to define a corresponding constructed feature or corresponding relational measurement operation to be included in the current workpiece feature inspection plan. The valid set of relational commands is determined based on a concurrently selected geometric feature set including at least two geometric features concurrently selected and indicated in the user interface.

Systems and methods are disclosed for automated inspection and part enrollment. In one implementation, a selection of an area of a part is received within a graphical user interface depicting a representation of the part. Based on the selection of the area of the part, a location of the selected area is determined. Image capture parameter(s) are determined based on the determined location. Based on (a) the determined image capture parameters and (b) the location of the selected area, an inspection path is computed with respect to the part. The computed inspection path is executed with respect to the part via an inspection system.

A system is provided for programming workpiece feature inspection operations for a coordinate measuring machine. The system includes a user interface with a simulation portion (e.g., including a 3D view of a workpiece) and an editing user interface portion (e.g., including an editable plan representation of a current workpiece feature inspection plan). Transparency operations are performed including automatically identifying as a target feature a workpiece feature in the 3D view that corresponds to a workpiece feature or inspection operation representation in the editable plan representation that is indicated by a current feature-directed operation (e.g., a selection operation for selecting a workpiece feature or inspection operation in the editable plan representation). An occluding workpiece feature that would otherwise be occluding at least a portion of the target feature in the 3D view is then automatically rendered as at least partially transparent in the 3D view.

A coordinate measuring machine for determining dimensional and/or geometric properties of a measurement object has a measurement element, which defines a reference point and is movable along multiple movement axes relative to a measurement object receptacle. The movement axes include multiple linear axes and at least one axis of rotation. In order to control the measurement element relative to a measurement object, desired positions of the reference point and parameters defining limit values for permissible velocities and/or accelerations are provided. Multiple individual temporal sequences of respective individual axial positions for the plurality of movement axes are determined as a function of the desired positions of the reference point and the parameters. The individual temporal sequences each have individual time intervals between successive individual axial positions. The individual temporal sequences are synchronized onto a common timing cycle, which uses the longest individual time interval in each case for each target position.

A measuring program compiling device and a measuring program compiling method thereof are provided. The method includes analyzing a first measuring program to obtain a plurality of first measuring parameters corresponding to the first measuring program, and converting the first measuring parameters into a plurality of second measuring parameters corresponding to a plurality of planning operations; generating a plurality of standardized measuring parameters according to the second measuring parameters and a plurality of computer aided design (CAD) image parameters; receiving a plurality of parameter input operations corresponding to the planning operations to update the second measuring parameters; generating a standardized measuring program corresponding to a CAD file according to the standardized measuring parameters; and converting the standardized measuring program into a target measuring program executed on a target measuring device according to specification data of the target measuring device.

A combination of electronic hardware, a microprocessor (embodied, e.g., in a personal-style computer (PC)), and control software blended together with unique systems integration techniques. When stationed at a machine tool, the result is an grated, interactive and intuitive machine tool or workstation capable of computer aided design (CAD), optional reverse engineering parts via coordinate measurement machining (CMM), toolpath generation computer aided manufacturing (CAM), and direct machine tool control (Direct CNC) by one person at one work station with a common human machine interface (HMI) and common file formats.

A non-volatile computer readable storage medium has instructions executed by a processor to collect from a communication interface a first set of probe signals from a three dimensional axis gauge characterizing axis directions of a table. Axes directions for the table relative to a vise on the table are computed from the first set of probe signals. A second set of probe signals from electronic gauge blocks that characterize position of the table are collected from the communication interface. Actual table positions are computed from the second set of probe signals. Table position residuals between the actual table positions and desired table positions are computed. The table position residuals are conveyed to the communication interface.

A method and apparatus for measuring an object using a CMM receives nominal geometry data relating to the object, and produces a set-up path based on the received nominal geometry data. The method also conducts a set-up measurement of the object using a CMM probe. The CMM probe conducts the set-up measurement by following the set-up path, and the set-up measurement of the object produces scan path information. The method generates a scan path using the scan path information, and controls the CMM probe to conduct a fine measurement of the object by causing the CMM probe to move along the generated scan path.

A computer-assisted method for determining dimensional properties of a measurement object using a coordinate measuring machine. An image representation of the measurement object is shown to a user and the user selects a first geometric element of the measurement object, resulting in the display of eligible test features for the selected first geometric element. The eligible test features are automatically determined from a plurality of typical test features stored in a database, by the selected first geometric element being assigned to one of a plurality of predefined measurement elements stored in the database. A defined measurement sequence is generated in a computer-assisted manner based on the test feature selected by the user. Individual measured values are recorded on the first geometric element using the defined measurement sequence. A numerical value based on the individual measured values is determined, which represents a dimensional property of the first geometric element corresponding to the selected test feature.

A numerical controller includes a coordinate management unit that updates machine origin offset data indicating a positional relationship between a machine origin of a machine tool and a machine origin of a robot depending on movement of the machine origin of the machine tool or the machine origin of the robot; and an interference check processing unit that detects interference between the machine tool and the robot on the basis of a position of a first interference definition area and a position of a second interference definition area, and the updated machine origin offset data.