Form Errors in Precision Metrology: A Survey of Measurement Techniques

Abstract

This article presents an overview of foundational concepts and techniques used in metrology of form errors such as straightness, flatness, circularity, sphericity, and cylindricity. Though there exists a significant body of literature on form-error metrology, to the best of our knowledge, no review paper has been written on this topic. Our aim here is to (1) present a unified view of the mathematical foundations of form-error metrology and (2) uncover the relative strengths and weaknesses of a wide spectrum of techniques from the literature. Our analysis concludes with a discussion of opportunities for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• form errors
• least-squares
• metrology
• minimum zone
• survey

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Martin Wortman, Shantanu Phatakwala, and Galya Novakova for pointing us to references in the literature.