Abstract

This Doctoral Thesis investigates the feasibility of integrating non-contact sensors based on Conoscopic Holography (CH) technology into CNC production machines for inspection and verification tasks.

A practical integration methodology was developed, comprising three levels: physical installation of the sensor, calibration of the machine-sensor system, and automation of the measurement process. The methodology was applied to a 3-axis Machining Centre (MC) and a 3-axis Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). The sensor was installed with the maximum possible degrees of freedom while preserving the integrity of both the machine and sensor. In the CMM, direct access to encoder signals also enabled both Discrete and Continuous digitizing modes, whereas only Discrete digitizing was possible in the MC.

For calibration, an extrinsic procedure based on a solid-rigid model was developed to express the sensor measurements within the machine reference system, using the machine error compensation map. A dedicated software application was also developed to automate digitizing, measurement planning, data processing, system adjustment, and result visualization.

Characterization tests were conducted under different sensor configurations, operating modes, and part characteristics, with results compared against conventional contact measurement techniques. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using CH sensors for inspection and digitizing in CNC machines. However, their integration depends on machine-specific characteristics, particularly the displacement transducers and communication capabilities with the machine controller. Measurement quality is also affected by the characteristics of the inspected part and the sensor optics. Although these effects cannot always be eliminated, appropriate process parameter adjustment can significantly reduce their influence.