Evaluation and Reduction of Measurement Uncertainty of a Double-Ballbar with Extended Measuring Range

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

The double-ballbar (DBB) is a cost-effective, easy-to-automate, and fast measurement device for the kinematic calibration of machine tools and robotic systems. To extend its bandwidth of applications, a DBB with a larger measuring range has been developed. This device has now been comprehensively examined for the first time with regard to its systematic and stochastic measurement uncertainty. This paper focuses on the DBB’s static behaviour – i. e. deformation due to its own weight – and on thermally induced length measurement deviations, arising from environmental conditions and self-heating due to electrical power losses. For the evaluation of a DBB with 150 mm stroke, an Abbe-compliant reference measurement arrangement with a laser interferometer was employed in an air-conditioned measuring room. Based on the results, an approach for correcting the systematic temperaturedependent length measurement deviation was implemented and validated. The DBB can thus achieve a measurement uncertainty significantly below 10 µm over a 150 mm stroke under known environmental conditions. This enables its application in the kinematic calibration of machine tools.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)132-150
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Machine Engineering
Volume26
Issue number2
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 20 May 2026
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0009-0001-1168-3666/work/217236056
ORCID /0009-0001-8626-1310/work/217236963
Scopus 105042604770
Mendeley c879112d-474a-35c3-90ea-ae8bce098483

Keywords