Coordinate Measuring Machine

COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINE & PCDMIS: User Manual Developed by: Nilanjan Das Chakladar, M.Tech Student Rahul Jain, M.Tech Student Samik Dutta, Research Scholar Harshadeep Joshi, Research Scholar Amrita Priyadarshini, Research Scholar Kamal Pal, Research Scholar Ravi Shankar S. N., Research Scholar

Metrology Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering Department IIT Kharagpur

List of Contents: Topic

Page No.

Introduction to Co-ordinate Measuring Machine

1

Description of Working Plane

2

(ii) Orientation Concept of Probe

2

(iii) Description of Remote Control Unit

3

(iv) Description of Graphics Display Window (v) Probe Calibration

4

(vi) Creating Features (Manual Mode)

10

(vii) Creating Features (Auto Mode)

13

(viii) View Setting

18

(ix) Construction Features

19

(x) Dimensioning Toolbar

44

(xi) Programming

48

(xi) Generating Report

55

(i)

5

Introduction to Coordinate Measuring Machine CMM is Co-ordinate Measuring Machine. It is used for geometrical feature measurement. The typical "bridge" CMM is composed of three axes, an X, Y and Z. These axes are orthogonal to each other in a typical three dimensional coordinate system. Each axis has a scale system or encoder that indicates the location of that axis. The machine will read the input points from the touch probe by touching the required location, as directed by the operator or programmer. The machine then uses the X,Y,Z coordinates of each of these points to determine size and position. Then the measurands (e.g. length, diameter, angle, flatness, straightness etc.) can be determined by those points. A coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is also a device used in manufacturing and assembly processes to test a part or assembly against the design intent. By precisely recording the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the target, points are generated which can then be analyzed via regression algorithms for the construction of features. These points are collected by using a probe that is positioned manually by an operator or automatically via Direct Computer Control (DCC). DCC CMMs can be programmed to repeatedly measure identical parts, thus a CMM is a specialized form of industrial robot. In CMM there are mainly two major parts. There are structural system and probing system. Machine structure, bridge, bearings for moving the bridge, granit table to support the workpiece, vibration isolation system and are included in the structural systems. Air bearings are the chosen method for ensuring friction free travel. Compressed air is forced through a series of very small holes in a flat bearing surface to provide a smooth but controlled air cushion on which the CMM can move in a frictionless manner. In probing system one touch trigger probe is attached to the Z-axis quill of the bridge. The probe tip is generally made of ruby and it is spherical in shape. The measuring volume of this TESA (4-7-4) CMM is 400 mm x 700 mm x 400 mm. This TESA (Swiss Company) make CMM has motorized probing system. The resolution of this CMM is 0.1 μm.

1

Overview of CMM & PCDMIS (i) Description of Working Plane: There are 6 working plane in this machine such as, Z+,Z-,Y+,Y-,X+,X-. Z+ working plane

Artifact X + working plane Machine table

Y- working plane Note: Z- will be in opposite direction of Z+ plane. Similarly, X- & Y+ will be in opposite directions of X+ and Y- planes, respectively.

(ii) Orientation Concept of Probe: When probe is rotated about X-axis it is then called as angle A and when probe is rotated about Z-axis, then it is called as angle B. Tesastar-p is the probe used in this machine. This probe can rotate in two directions viz A & B A0B0:- Angle A=0, and Angle B=0

A0B0 position of probe

A90B90 position of probe

Convention: When rotation of probe is in CCW manner w.r.t. axis of rotation than it is considered positive else negative. Range of angles: Angle A: Probe can rotate from +90 to -115 about X-axis. Angle B: Probe can rotate from +180 to -180 about Z- axis

2

(iii) Description of Remote Control Unit:

Joystick (To control the machine movement)

To start servo control

Emergency Stop

To lock the movement of respective axes

To delete previous hits

To run machine at lower speed

To activate joystick

To run machine automatically

To enter the feature into software

To disconnect servo control between machine and software

3

(iv) Description of Graphics Display Window: Edit window Graphic view

Manual features

Dimension Toolbar

Edit window

Probe File Auto feature

Feature description

Constructed feature

Probe Tip Description

Probe mode Wizard

View

CAD view

4

(v) Probe Calibration: Probe calibration is important while creating a new Part Program 1. Open the PCDMIS program by double clicking on the Online desktop icon. Otherwise PCDMIS can also be opened by selecting the Start>All Programs > PCDMIS for Window>Online.

2. Select a Probe file. Recently used probe file will be shown. If new tip is going to be attached, select Probe File, otherwise select already displayed one.

3. At this stage the system will prompt for homing. First make sure to clear the work table for safe movement of the probe. Select OK to permit the machine to go in home position.

4. Following message will appear if the remote is not set in Auto mode. Click the AUTO button on remote control.

5. Once machine comes to homing position, place the Qualification Sphere in the middle of the work table. The Open File dialog box will appear on the screen. If you have previously created a part program, you can load it from this dialog.

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6. Since you are creating a new part program, select the Cancel button to close the dialog box. 7. Go to File>New> New Part Program box. In the Part Name box, type Filename. If the Interface shows OFFLINE it means machine is not connected.

8. Select the Measurement Units option for the measurement. As soon as you have created a new part program, PCDMIS will open the main user interface and then immediately open the Probe Utilities dialog box for you to load a probe. The Probe Utilities dialog box, can also be accessed by selecting Insert > Hardware Definition > Probe, allows you to define a new probe. When you first create a new part program, PCDMIS automatically brings up this dialog box.

Probe Utilities dialog box

9. In the Probe File box, type the already created Part Name as the name of the probe file. Later, when you create other part programs, your probes will be available in this dialog box for selection. 6

10. Select the statement: No Probe defined. The Probe Description area of the Probe Utilities dialog box allows you to define the probe, extensions and tip (s) that will be used in the part program. The Probe Description dropdown list displays the available probe options in alphabetical order. Select your probe using the Probe Description combo box:

11. Select the line "Empty Connection #1" and continue to select the necessary probe parts until your probe is built. Select: TESASTAR-M (selected by default) (Probe Head) Select: TESA-TMA (Probe Connector) Select: TESASTAR-P (Probe) Select: Tip-(dia.) by (Length) mm (Stylus) ** For example, if we are using 4 mm diameter probe tip having 30 mm stylus length then select: Tip4BY30MM (Stylus)

Verify that the defined Probe File is displayed in Probe Window; else select from the drop down menu. 13. Click Add Angles… from probe utilities window to select probe angle. Fill up the required probe angles against the box A Angle and B Angle, then click Add Angle > OK.

Active Tip List

PCDMIS describes a probe according to the following criteria:

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Tip ID # This is the permanent number that PCDMIS assigns to a tip when it is loaded into memory. Tip Rotation This field displays the rotation of the tip in the vertical (A) and horizontal (B) direction Tip Type This field displays the probe type (BALL, DISK, TAPER, SHANK, OPTICAL). XYZ Nominal These values describe the location of the tip. This location is in relation to the bottom of the Z rail. IJK Direction These values describe the direction of the probe tip. This vector goes from the center of the probe tip towards the Z rail. Diameter and Thickness These values describe the diameter of the tip and the thickness of SHANK and DISK probes. PCDMIS defines these values when the probe is loaded. Calibration Date and Time These boxes indicate the most recent date and time the probe tip was calibrated. If a new tip is created without being calibrated, PCDMIS will display NEW for the date and time values. If an old probe tip is loaded and the date and time information is unavailable, PCDMIS will display UNKNOWN for the values. Only probe tips that are actually calibrated have their time and date values updated. Only one tip may be edited at a time. Non-calibrated Tip An asterisk (*) identifies any non calibrated tips. The Edit window command line for a sample tip would read: TIP/T1A0B0, SHANKIJK=0, 0, 1, ANGLE=0

Non calibrated Tips Marked with Asterisks (*)

14. Select *A0B0 unmarked probe feature and click Measure from Probe Utilities window. Measure Probe window will appear Select Man+DCC option when calibrating the first position of probe (i.e. A0B0). Select DCC+DCC for subsequent angles.

Default Mode: The machine decides on its own the number of levels. The equator is considered to be at 0 degree start angle and the poles at 90 degree when the tip moves vertically down.

Add Tool: Specify the specification of the qualification tool

8

By Clicking Add Tool… following window will appear Fill the boxes as shown in the window.

Once you define a new tool, it will appear in the List of Available Tools dropdown list located in the Measure Probe dialog box. At least one probe tip must be defined in the Active Tip List before measuring a tool. 16. After setting Tool type, click OK and click Measure in the Measure Probe window, the following warning message will pop up:

If the qualification tool has been moved from the previous position select Yes, otherwise No. On selecting Yes a final confirmation window for calibration will come up:

17. Once we click OK the execution window will begin for the manual hit on approximately top of the Qualification Sphere as cited below:

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Press SLOW button on REMOTE CONTROL UNIT and take one hit manually on the top of the sphere and press RTN TO SCREEN. Press AUTO on the remote control as command AUTO MODE REQUIRED appears at the bottom of the display window. 18. Calibration Results: Coming back to Probe Utilities Window click Results and check the standard deviation value. Assure the Std. Dev value lies within 0.008 mm, otherwise stop the machine and go for tightening the extension-stylus-tip joints.

Click OK. To calibrate rest of the angles (if any), change Man+DCC to DCC+DCC in the Measure Probe window to repeat the above procedure. 19. Once calibration is over, remove the Qualification Sphere and place the job on the work table

(vi) Creating Features (Manual mode): Preamble: Manual+DCC

a. Create a Point ( ) Click on Measured Point icon. Take a hit on the surface (where point is to be made) > RTN TO SCREEN from remote control

Point 1 b. Create a Line ( ) Click on icon Measured Line >Take two points on a surface > Press RTN TO SCREEN.

Line1

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c. Create a Plane (

) Click on Measured Plane icon > Take three points such that it covers the entire plane> RTN TO SCREEN. -

Plane 1

d. Creating a Circle(

)

Click on Measured Circle icon>Take three hits on the inner periphery of circle (in CW or CCW manner)> Press RTN TO SCREEN.

Circle 1

e. Create a Cylinder (

)

Click on Measured Cylinder icon> Take 3 hits on top inner periphery of cylinder> take 3 hits at the approx. bottom periphery (inner) of cylinder (use CW or CCW manner for both type of hits) > Press RTN TO SCREEN.

Cylinder1 11

f. Create a Cone (

)

Click on Measured Cone icon> Take 3 hits on top inner periphery of cone> take 3 hits at the approx. bottom of the periphery (inner) of cone (use CW or CCW manner for both type of hits) > Press RTN TO SCREEN.

Cone 1

g. Create a Sphere (

)

Click on Measured Sphere icon> Take 3 hits on the equatorial plane > Take 1 hit at approx. top >Press RTN TO SCREEN

Sphere 1

h. Create a Round Slot (

)

Click Measured Round Slot >Take 3 hits on inner periphery of semicircle> Take 3 hits on inner periphery of the opposite semicircle > Press RTN TO SCREEN.

Round slot 1

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(vii) Creating Features (Auto Mode)

Preamble: Change mode from manual to DCC ( Auto Feature Toggle Bar:

) to activate Auto Features

To turn certain functionality on or off. This bar appears in the Measurement Properties area and contains these icons.

Icons

Name Measure Now Toggle: Re-Measure Toggle Auto Wrist Toggle Clear Plane Toggle

Circular Moves Toggle Manual Pre-Position Toggle Show Hit Targets Toggle View Normal Toggle View Perpendicular Toggle

Void Detection Toggle Probe Toolbox Toggle Show Measured Points Toggle Show Filtered Points Toggle

Description If selected, this icon begins the measurement process for this auto feature immediately after you click the Create button. PCDMIS will measure the part based on the values specified in the Auto Feature dialog box. If selected, this icon automatically re-measures the feature against the measured values obtained the first time the feature is measured. This icon chooses the best wrist position to measure this Auto Feature's hits. Upon creation, it will automatically insert a tip command before the Auto Feature. If selected, PCDMIS will automatically insert a MOVE/CLEARPLANE command (relative to the current coordinate system and part origin) into the Edit window before the first automatic hit of the feature. This causes the probe to move to the defined clearance plane before measuring the feature. After the last hit on the feature is measured, the probe will stay at probe depth until called to the next feature. This icon determines whether or not the probe will move along an arc as opposed to usually moving in a straight line when moving from one hit to the next. This option is particularly helpful when working with ring grooves. If selected, this icon prompts the user to move the camera to the position that is over the target before continuing. Clicking this icon shows the path lines and the hit locations for the current feature. If the Probe Toolbox is visible, it also displays the toolbox's Hit Targets tab. Clicking this icon orients that CAD so that you look down on the feature. Deselecting it returns the CAD to the previous view. You can also select this by right clicking on the path and selecting View Normal from the resulting menu. Clicking this icon orients the CAD so that you look at the side of the feature. This is ideal for defining a feature's depth or adding additional rows of hits for features that support additional levels such as cones or cylinders. To set additional rows, right click and select Add Row from the resulting menu. If selected, PCDMIS detects hit targets that would normally occur in voids (empty spaces) on the CAD model and repositions them to a safe location, usually near the edge of the void. If selected, the Probe Toolbox gets displayed. PCDMIS remembers the toolbox state so that thereafter, whenever you open or close that Auto Feature dialog box, the Probe Toolbox will also open and close respectively. Select this icon to show in the Graphics Display window a visual depiction of the data points used to measure the feature. Select this icon to show on the Live and CAD Views image processing data points that were acquired and then discarded by the current filter settings.

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1. Auto Vector Point(

)

Click Auto Vector Point icon>Take 3 hits on surface to define plane orientation> Take a hit where point is to be created> Press Create> Press AUTO from remote control.

Coordinates of point based on machine coordinate system 2. Auto Line Feature ( ) Click Auto Line icon > Take two hits at two extreme positions that contains the line to be measured.

Press Create> Press AUTO from remote control. Before this make sure that correct working plane is selected or not. If top surface i.e. ZPLUS is the working plane, take Depth equals to 0.00 in the Probe Utilities window.

3. Auto Plane Feature (

)

Click on Auto Plane icon. Take 3 hits on the surface containing the plane. Press Create button in Auto Feature and then AUTO mode from the remote control.

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For the Auto Plane Feature, the Square and Radial options in the Pattern list allow you to determine whether the hits for the plane feature are taken on a square or radial pattern. Display List If you select Radial, PCDMIS will create the hits in rows coming from the center of a circular or radial pattern. If you select Square, PCDMIS will create the hits in a grid pattern about the center point of the plane. For an Auto Plane Feature, the Display list determines how the plane will be displayed in the Graphics Display window. - Selecting Triangle will cause the plane to appear as a triangle symbol around the region where the plane hits will be taken.

- Selecting Outline will cause the plane to appear as a square or rectangular outline around the region where the plane hits will be taken.

4. Auto Circle Feature (

)

Take three sample hits on the surface in the close proximity of the circle> take three hits in the inner periphery of the circle (in CW or CCW manner). The 3 points on the periphery should be in the same level. To ensure this Z can be locked in the remote control by pressing Z LOCK. 15

Be sure that the circle is taking place inside a hole (inner) or outside a profile (outer), accordingly change the measurement properties ahead. Click on Create and wait for the display AUTO MODE REQUIRED and press AUTO button from the remote control unit. 5. Auto Cylinder Feature (

)

Take three sample hits on the surface closer to the cylinder. And take three hits on same level (by pressing the Z LOCK from remote control unit) at the top inner surface of the cylinder. - Give an appropriate length. - Check whether inner/outer - Direction: Direction of rotation is preferred during automatic measurement. Normally the direction of rotation during sample measurement hits is considered as default.

- Start Angle – First angle of hit during automatic measurement - End Angle – Last angle of hit during automatic measurement -Activate circular moves toggle In the Probe Utilities toolbox select 1. 2. 3. 4.

Hits per level:No. of hits taken by probe tip at each level Starting depth (depth from top) Ending depth (depth from the end) Levels:- No. of layers on which hit will be taken

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Click on Create and wait for the display AUTO MODE REQUIRED and press AUTO button from the remote control unit. 6. Auto Sphere Feature (

)

Take three hits along the equator of the sphere on the same level and a final hit at the top manually. Select - Inner/Outer option as out - Circular Toggle On( ) - Give appropriate number of hits - Number of Level Click on Create and wait for the display AUTO MODE REQUIRED and press AUTO button from the remote control unit. 7. Auto Cone Feature (

)

Take three hits on the surface closer to the cone and three hits on the Inner/Outer part of the cone on the same level and final one hit at the bottom layer manually. Give the approximate value of depth of the cone as Length in the auto feature window. 17

In the Probe Utilities toolbox select 1. 2. 3. 4.

Hits per level:- No. of hits taken by probe tip at each level Starting depth (depth from top) Ending depth (depth from the end) Levels:- No. of layers on which hit will be taken

Click on Create and wait for the display AUTO MODE REQUIRED and press AUTO button from the remote control unit. Caution: While creating the features using auto features, be careful in selecting the working plane.

(viii) View Setting:

View Setup dialog box

To change the views in the Graphics Display window, use the View Setup dialog box. You can access this dialog box by clicking the View Setup icon from the Graphics Mode toolbar. 1. From the View Setup dialog box, select the desired screen style. For example, click on the second button (top row, second from left) indicating a horizontally split window. 2. To view the upper part image in the Z+ direction, pull down the Blue dropdown list located in the Views area of the dialog box, and select Z+. 3. To view the lower part image in the Y orientation, pull down the Red dropdown list and select Y. 4. Click Apply button and PCDMIS will redraw the Graphics Display window with the requested two views. Since you haven't measured the part yet, nothing will be drawn in the Graphics Display window. The screen will be split, however, according to the views selected in the View Setup dialog box.

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(ix) Construction Features:

2

1

4

3

6 5

8

7

9

1: Constructed Point; 2: Constructed Line; 3: Constructed Plane; 4: Constructed Circle; 5: Constructed Ellipse; 6: Constructed Slot; 7: Constructed Cylinder; 8: Constructed Cone; 9: Constructed Sphere

1. Constructed Point:

Construct Point dialog box

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To construct a point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box by clicking Constructed Point (Insert>Feature>Constructed Point). 2. Input the desired features. 3. Select the method of construction. Available options include: · Cast Point: A point can be constructed by changing any given feature into the point. PCDMIS will construct the point at the centroid of the input feature. To construct a Cast Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box 2. Select the Cast option from the list of options. 3. Select any feature. 4. Click the Create button. · Corner Point: A point can be constructed from three planes. PCDMIS creates a point at their intersection. The vector of the constructed corner point is the cross product of the second input vector into the third input vector. To construct a Corner Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box 2. Select the Corner Point option from the list of options. 3. Select three different planes. 4. Click the Create button.

· Drop Point: A point can be constructed from any feature and a line (cone, cylinder or slot). PCDMIS will drop the centroid of the first feature onto the second feature. The "dropped" point will be dropped on a line that is perpendicular to the line, centerline, or plane. If two line features are selected, PCDMIS will drop the centroid of the first line feature onto the second line feature. Note: For this construction method you must select feature types in the correct order. To construct a Drop Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box. 2. Select the Drop Point option from the list of options. 3. Select the first feature. It may be of any type. 4. Select the second feature. It must be of cone, cylinder, line, or slot. 5. Click the Create button.

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· Intersect Point: A point can be constructed between a line (circle, cone, cylinder, or slot) and a line, (circle, cone, cylinder, or slot). The point is created where the lines (centerlines) of the two features intersect. To Construct an Intersect Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box. 2. Select the Intersect option from the list of options. 3. Select two features of this type (circle, cone, cylinder, line, slot). 4. Click the Create button

If the two features do not intersect, the point is constructed midway between the two features at the apparent intersection. In other words, the intersect point is the midpoint of the shortest line connecting the two input features. · Mid Point: A point can be constructed from any two features without direction. PCDMIS creates a midpoint between the centroids of the two input features. To construct a Mid Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box. 2. Select the Mid Point option from the list of options. 3. Select any two features.

4. Click the Create button. · Offset Point: A point can be constructed a specified distance from any input feature. 21

To construct an Offset Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box. 2. Select the Offset Point option from the list of options. 3. Select a feature from which to create the offset point. 4. Click the Create button. To create an offset point from the origin, select the At Origin option. To create an offset point relative to a particular feature, select the desired feature and key in the X, Y, and Z Offset. XYZ Offset

These fields allow you to enter in offset distances for the X, Y, and Z, axes. These options are only available if the Offset option is selected first. · Origin Point: A point can be constructed at the current alignment origin. To construct an Origin Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box. 2. Select the At Origin option. 3. Do not select any input features. 4. Click the Create button. · Pierce Point: A point can be constructed using a line (circle, cone, ellipse, slot, or cylinder) and a circle, ellipse or plane (cone, cylinder, or sphere). Note: For this construction method you must select feature types in the correct order. · If the pierced feature is a circle or an ellipse, PCDMIS creates a cylindrical circumference about the centerline, and constructs the pierce point. If two similar features (two cylinders for example) are provided, PCDMIS will pierce the second feature with the first feature. If the pierced feature is a sphere, circle, cone, or cylinder the pierce point is constructed where the piercing input feature first intersects the surface of the pierced element. The first intersection point is determined by the direction of the line. It is important to know the direction in which the line was defined. If the wrong point is constructed, create a new, flipped line, and use it to construct the point. To construct a Pierce Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box. 2. Select the Pierce option from the list of options. 3. Select the first feature. It must be either a cone, cylinder, line, slot, circle, or ellipse. 4. Select the second feature. It must be either an ellipse, circle, cone, cylinder, plane, or sphere. 5. Click the Create button.

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· Project Point: A point can be constructed from any feature and a plane. PCDMIS will project the point where the plane intersects the point. If there is only one input feature, the projection will be to the work plane. To construct a Projected Point: 1. Access the Construct Point dialog box. 2. Select the Projection option from the list of options. 3. Select a feature from which to create the project point. 4. Click the Create button.

2. Constructed Line:

Construct Line dialog box

To construct a line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box by clicking Constructed Line from Constructed Feature toolbar. 2. Input the desired features. 3. Select the method of construction. Available options include: · Auto Line: To allow PCDMIS to automatically determine the best method of construction: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Auto option from the list of options. 3. Select the desired feature(s) based on the table below. 4. Click the Create button. Alignment Line: A line can be constructed through the current origin, normal to the current work plane. (Input features do not need to be provided.) To Construct an Alignment Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 23

2. Select the Alignment option. 3. Do not enter any features. 4. Click the Create button.

 Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Line: A 'best fit' 2 or 3dimensional line can be constructed from two or more features. The best fit construction method takes the actual measured points while the best fit recompensate method takes the ball's center. In both cases the average squared error is minimized in the least squares method and the maximal error is minimized in the minmax method. You can also choose to remove outliers or apply a Gaussian filter to the constructed line. To construct a Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select either the Best Fit or BF Recomp option. 3. Enter in at least two features. 4. Select either the 2D line or 3D line option. Note: For Best Fit Recompensate, one feature must be a point. 5. If desired, click the Remove Outliers check box and specify a value in the Standard Deviation Multiple box. 6. If desired, click the Apply Gauss Filter check box and specify a value in the Cuttoff Wavelength box. 7. Click the Create button. (Uses the center of the probe for measurement, recompensating after measuring the features.)

Remove Outliers / Standard Deviation Multiple For a best fit (BF) or best fit recompensate (BFRE) line you can choose to remove outliers based on the distance from the best fit feature. This allows the removal of anomalies that arise in the measurement process. PCDMIS first fits a line to the data, and then determines which points are outliers based on the value in the Standard Deviation Multiple box. It then does the following: · Recalculates the best fit line with those outliers removed. · Checks for outliers again. · Recalculates the best fit line. · Continues repeating this process until no more outliers exist or until PCDMIS cannot compute the line (PCDMIS can't compute the line if there are fewer than 3 data points). For 2D lines, the deviation is calculated in a plane parallel to the workplane. For 3D lines, the deviation is computed as the distance from the measured point to the nearest point along the line. 24

Apply Gauss Filter / Cutoff Wavelength The Best Fit (BF) and Best Fit Recompensate (BFRE) constructed lines have the option of filtering the deviations of the measured data points from the best fit line computed from the measured data. The Apply Gauss Filter check box is a Gaussian filter with the smoothing controlled by the cutoff wavelength. Generally, a longer cutoff wavelength produces smoother filtered data. If you've selected the Remove Outliers check box and are filtering the data, then outlier data is removed prior to filtering. For 2D lines, PCDMIS filters the deviations in a plane parallel to the workplane. For 3D lines, PCDMIS filters the deviations in two planes perpendicular to each other, both planes containing the line. PCDMIS filters these deviations in 3D. · Cast Line: A line can be constructed by changing any given feature into a line. PCDMIS will construct the line at the centroid of the input feature. You can modify the length of the line; This changes the line from DEPENDENT to INDEPENDENT. This means that when the line is executed that the length will not change based on the input feature, but will be independent of the input feature, while the position and vector will remain dependent on the input feature. This allows you to have control over the line length in cases where the input feature doesn’t really have a length, such as a point. The DEPENDENT/INDEPENDENT field is a toggle field that you may change. To change the length of a line: 1. Open the Edit window. 2. Click on the line feature. 3. Press the TAB key until the length field is selected. 4. Type in a new length. 5. Press TAB. PCDMIS will update the length. PCDMIS will use this length value for all calculations instead of using a default length. To construct a Cast Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Cast option. 3. Enter in one feature of any type. 4. Click the Create button. · Intersect Line: A line can be constructed at the intersection of two planes. To construct an Intersect Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Intersect option. 3. Enter in the first feature. It must be a plane. 4. Enter in the second feature. It must be a plane. 5. Click the Create button.

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· Mid Line: A mid line can be constructed between a line (cone, slot, cylinder, or plane) and a line (cone, slot, cylinder, or plane). PCDMIS creates a line (midline) that is equally spaced from the specified lines. This option can be used for lines that are parallel or lines that are at an angle to one another. The midline is constructed at a midplane between the two inputs and bisects the smaller included angle between the two inputs. To construct a MidLine: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Mid option. 3. Enter in the first feature. It must be either a line, cone, cylinder, or slot. 4. Enter in the second feature. It must be either a line, cone, cylinder, or slot. 5. Click the Create button.

· Parallel Line: A line can be constructed parallel to any two features. PCDMIS creates a line parallel to the first input feature and passing through the center of the second input feature. To construct a Parallel Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Parallel option. 3. Select two features of any type. 4. Click the Create button.

· Perpendicular Line: A line can be constructed perpendicular to the first input feature and passing through the centroid of the second input feature. To construct a Perpendicular Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Perpendicular option. 3. Select two features of any type. 4. Click the Create button.

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· Projected Line: A line can be constructed from any feature and a plane. PCDMIS will project the line where the plane intersects the line. If there is only one input feature, the projection will be to the work plane. To construct a Projected Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Projection option. 3. Select either one or two features. The first feature may be of any type. If two features are selected, the second feature must be a plane. 4. Click the Create button.

· Reversed direction Line: A line can be constructed with a reversed vector. To construct a Reverse Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Reverse option. 3. Select one feature. It must be a line. 4. Click the Create button. PCDMIS reverses the vector of the line and also flips the start and end points. · Offset Line: A line can be constructed a specified distance from the input features. To construct an Offset Line: 1. Access the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Offset option. 3. Select at least two features from which to create the offset line. They can be of any type. 4. Click the Offsets button. The Line Offsets dialog box will appear.

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5. Click the Calculate Noms option and enter the offset values for the desired features in the offset field or Click the Calculate Offsets option and change the nominal values. 6. Click the OK button. The Line Offsets dialog box will close. 7. Click the Create button. PCDMIS will iterate and construct a line such that the shortest distance from each input feature to the line is the corresponding offset amount. PCDMIS will make all offsets in a direction perpendicular to the given surface normal direction. PCDMIS will apply negative offsets in the same general direction that the points are measured. Positive offset values will be applied opposite the probing direction. If there is no probing direction (i.e., the input points were constructed), PCDMIS uses the current work plane to determine the general direction for applying the offsets. Positive offsets will be applied in the plus direction of the third axis of the current work plane. Negative offsets will be applied in the minus direction of the third axis of the current work plane. Note: The sign (positive or negative) of the offset value, control on which side of the input features the line is constructed. If you get the opposite line than was expected, cancel the feature and reconstruct it, reversing the sign of the keyed in offsets. For example, if the offsets are 1.0, 2.5, 3.5, change them to -1.0, -2.5, -3.5. You can calculate the offset value in two ways: · Changing the offset directly for the input feature of your choice, and then click the Calculate button to updating the nominal values. · Change the nominal values for the selected feature, and then click the Calculate button to update the offset values. These are described below. Changing Offsets Directly to Calculate Nominals To enter new offset values: 1. Open the Line Offsets dialog box by clicking the Offset button from the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Calculate Noms option. The offsets portion of the dialog box becomes editable. 3. In the Offset column, click on the "0.000000" value (or current value) to highlight it. 4. Click again on the offset. 5. Type a new value. 6. Press the ENTER key. 7. Click Calculate to update the nominal values based on any offset(s) you chose. 8. Click OK to save the offset. Example of Calculating Nominals The Calculate button calculates the X, Y, and Z nominal values from new offsets entered. For example, suppose you construct an offset line between two circles (CIR1 and CIR2). After selecting the features and clicking the Offsets button, you have X, Y, and Z nominals of: X = 4.5040 28

Y=3 Z = 0.1582 If you change the offset values by two for each circle and click the Calculate Noms button, the X, Y, and Z are updated to: X = 4.5040 Y=5 Z = 0.1582 If you then click OK and construct the offset line, you'll notice that the newly constructed line lies 2 units higher in the Y axis. Only the Y axis is offset for Line Offsets. Changing Nominals Directly to Calculate Offsets To enter new offset values: 1. Open the Line Offsets dialog box by clicking the Offset button from the Construct Line dialog box. 2. Select the Calculate Offsets option. The Nominals portion of the dialog box becomes editable. 3. Change the XYZ, IJK, or surface IJK values. 4. Click Calculate to update the offset values based on any nominals you've changed. 5. Click OK to save the offset. Example of Calculating Offsets The Calculate Offsets button calculates the offset values appearing in the Offset column when you change the nominal value. For example, suppose you construct an offset line between two circles (CIR1 and CIR2). After selecting the features and clicking the Offsets button, you have X, Y, and Z nominals of: X = 4.5040 Y=3 Z = 0.1582 If you change the X, Y, and Z nominals to: X = 4.5040 Y = 4.5 Z = 0.1582 and click the Calculate Offsets button; the offsets for the two circles are updated to: 1.500000 CIR1 1.500000 CIR2 If you then click OK and construct the offset line, you'll notice that the line is constructed at 1.5 units higher in the Y axis.

3. Constructed Plane:

Plane Construction dialog box

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To construct a plane: 1. Select Constructed Plane from the Constructed Feature toolbar (Insert>Feature>Constructed>Plane). 2. The Construct Plane dialog box will appear. 3. Input the desired features. 4. Select the method of construction. Available options include: · Alignment Plane: A plane can be constructed through the current origin and parallel to the current work plane. (Input features do not need to be provided.) To construct an alignment plane: 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 2. Select the Alignment option. 3. Do not select any features. 4. Click the Create button.

· Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Plane: A 'best fit ' plane can be constructed through three or more features. The best fit construction method takes the actual measured points, rather than the ball's center (as in the case of Best Fit Recompensate). In both cases PCDMIS computes a least squares plane, one for which PCDMIS minimizes the average squared perpendicular distance from the data points to the plane. To Construct a Best Fit or a Best Fit Recompensate Plane: 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 2. Select either the Best Fit or BF Recomp option. 3. Select at least three features. Note: If you choose Best Fit Recompensate at least one feature must be a point. 4. Click the Create button.

· Cast Plane: A plane can be constructed by changing any feature into a plane. PCDMIS will construct the plane at the centroid of the input feature. 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 30

2. Select the Cast option. 3. Select one feature of any type. 4. Click the Create button. · Mid Plane: A plane can be constructed from any two features. The resultant plane (mid plane) is equally spaced from the centroids of the two specified input features. To construct a Mid Plane: 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 2. Select the Midplane option. 3. Select two features of any type. 4. Click the Create button.

· Offset Plane: To construct an Offset Plane: 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 2. Select the Offset option. 3. Select at least three features of any type. 4. Select the Offsets button. The Plane Offsets dialog box will appear.

5. Click the Calculate Noms option and enter the offset values for the desired features in the offset field or Click the Calculate Offsets option and change the nominal values (see the procedures below). 6. Click Calculate to calculate either the nominal values or the offset values. 7. Click the OK button. The Plane Offsets dialog box will close. 8. Click the Create button. · Parallel Plane: A plane can be constructed parallel to any two features. PCDMIS creates a plane parallel to the first input feature and passing through the centroid of the second input feature. To construct a Parallel Plane: 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 2. Select the Parallel option. 3. Select two features of any type. 31

4. Click the Create button.

Constructing a Parallel Plane Using Two Planes

Constructing a Parallel Plane Using Two Lines

· Perpendicular Plane: A plane can be constructed between any two features. PCDMIS creates a plane perpendicular to the first input feature and passing through the centroid of the second input feature. To construct a Perpendicular Plane: 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 2. Select the Perpendicular option. 3. Select two features of any type. 4. Click the Create button.

· Reversed direction Plane: A plane can be constructed with a reversed vector. To construct a Reverse Plane: 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 2. Select the Reverse option. 3. Select one feature. It must be a plane. 4. Click the Create button. · Auto Plane: To allow PCDMIS to automatically determine the best method of construction: 1. Access the Construct Plane dialog box. 2. Select the Auto option from the list of options. 3. Select the desired feature(s) based on the table below. 4. Click the Create button.

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4. Constructed Circle:

Construct Circle Dialog box To construct a circle: 1. Access the Construct Circle dialog box by clicking Constructed Circle from Constructed Feature toolbar (Insert>Feature>Constructed>Circle). 2. Input the desired features. 3. Select the In or Out option. The In and Out options tell PCDMIS whether to construct the circle as an internal or an external circle. · If you select In, PCDMIS constructs the circle as an internal circle. · If you select Out, PCDMIS constructs the circle as an external circle, or pin. 4. Select the method of construction. Available options include: · Auto Circle: To allow PCDMIS to automatically determine the best method of construction: 1. Access the Construct Circle dialog box. 2. Select the Auto option from the list of options. 3. Select the desired feature(s) based on the table below. 4. Click the Create button. · Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Circle: A "best fit" circle can be constructed from three or more features. The constructed circle's vector is normal to the current working plane. The best fit construction method takes the actual measured points, rather than the ball's center (as is the case of best fit recompensate). To construct a Best Fit Circle or a Best Fit Recompensate Circle: 1. Access the Construct Circle dialog box. 2. Select either the Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate option (shown as Best Fit and BF Recomp). 3. Select the type of Best Fit construction from the Best Fit Type list. 33

4. Select at least 3 features.

5. Click the Create button. Best Fit Type

This list becomes available if you select Best Fit or BF Recomp options when constructing the circle. It allows you to specify the type of Best Fit construction used. Available types include: · LEAST_SQR · MAX_INSC · MIN_CIRCSC · MIN_SEP ·FIXED_RAD Remove Outliers / Standard Deviation Multiple For a best fit (BF) or best fit recompensate (BFRE) circle you can choose to remove outliers based on the distance from the best fit feature. This allows the removal of anomalies that arise in the measurement process. PCDMIS first fits a circle to the data, then determines which points are outliers based on the standard deviation multiple. It then does the following: · Recalculates the best fit circle with those outliers removed. · Checks for outliers again. · Recalculates the best fit circle. · Continues repeating this process until no more outliers exist or until PCDMIS cannot compute the circle (PCDMIS can't compute the circle if there are fewer than 3 data points). Apply Gauss Filter / Cutoff Frequency The Best Fit (BF) and Best Fit Recompensate (BFRE) constructed circles have the option of filtering the deviations of the measured data points from the best fit circle computed from the measured data. The Apply Gauss Filter check box is a Gaussian filter with a cutoff frequency input as undulations per revolution (UPR). Generally, a lower cutoff frequency produces smoother filtered data. If you've selected the Remove Outliers check box and are filtering the data, then outlier data is removed prior to filtering. · Intersect Circle: A circle can be constructed between a cone (circle, cylinder, sphere) and a plane. It can also be created between two concentric cones or a concentric cone/cylinder combination. PCDMIS creates a circle at the intersection of the circular feature and the plane or between the cone/cone or cone/cylinder combinations. · In the case of a circular feature and a plane intersection, PCDMIS always makes a true circle (not an ellipse) even if the circular feature is not exactly perpendicular to the plane. The center point of the new circle is at the pierce point of the circular feature's centerline and the plane. The vector of the circle is the vector of the piercing circular feature. 34

· In the case of a cone/cone or cone/cylinder combination, a true circle is created even if the intersecting features do not form a true circle. To construct an Intersect Circle: 1. Access the Construct Circle dialog box. 2. Select the Intersect option. 3. Select the first feature. It must be either a circle, cone, cylinder, or sphere. 4. Select the second feature. It must be a plane. 5. Click the Create button.

· Cast Circle: A circle can be constructed by changing any given feature into a circle. PCDMIS will construct the circle at the centroid of the input feature. If a sheet metal point is used, the diameter will be the probe diameter. For some sheet metal features (such as slots and notches) the width will be used as the diameter. For features that do not have diameters (lines, points, etc.), a value that is four times the probe diameter will be used. You can modify the diameter of the circle; this will change the circle from DEPENDENT to INDEPENDENT. This means that when the circle is executed, the diameter will not change based on the input feature but will be independent of the input feature, while the position and vector remain dependent on the input feature. This allows you to have control over the diameter in cases where the input feature doesn’t really have a diameter, such as a point. The DEPENDENT/INDEPENDENT field is a toggle field you may change. PCDMIS will use this diameter value for all calculations instead of using the default diameter value as described above. To construct a Cast Circle: 1. Access the Construct Circle dialog box. 2. Select the Cast option. 3. Select at least one features of any type. 4. Click the Create button · Projected Circle: A circle can be constructed from any feature and a plane. PCDMIS will project the centroid of the given feature onto the plane, creating a circle. If there is only one input feature, the projection will be to the current work plane. The diameter of the projected circle will be four times the probe's diameter. To construct a Projected Circle: 1. Access the Construct Circle dialog box. 2. Select the Projection option. 3. Select a feature of any type. Note: A second feature can also be selected. It must be a plane. 35

4. Click the Create button.

· Reverse direction Circle: A circle can be constructed with a reversed vector. To change the direction of a circle: 1. Access the Construct Circle dialog box. 2. Select the Reverse option. 3. Select one feature. It must be a circle. 4. Click the Create button. · Tangent 2 Lines: This option constructs a circle tangent to two lines. The exact location is determined by the size of the circle and the direction of the lines. Type a Diameter value for the constructed after selecting the two input lines, and then click Create. If the constructed circle doesn't appear were expected, try changing the direction of one of the lines. · Tangent 3 Lines: This option constructs a circle tangent to the three input lines that form a triangle. Select the three input lines, and then click Create. · Tangent 3 Circles: This option constructs a circle tangent to the three input circles. Select the three input circles, and then click Create. The tangent circle can either contain all three circles (circumscribed circle) or none of the three (inscribed circle).

· Circle from a Cone: 1. Access the Construct Circle dialog box (Insert | Feature | Constructed | Circle). 2. Select the Cone option. 3. Select one feature. The type must be a cone. 4. Select either DIAMETER or HEIGHT from the Type dropdown list. 5. Type a value for the diameter or height into the Value box. 6. If you selected Height: · Select a reference point from the Point list. 36

· Select a reference vector from the Vector list. 7. Click the Create button.

5. Constructed Ellipse:

Construct Ellipse dialog box

To construct an ellipse: 1. Access the Construct Ellipse dialog box by clicking Constructed Ellipse from Constructed Feature toolbar (Insert>Feature>Constructed>Ellipse). 2. Input the desired features. 3. Select the In or Out option. 4. Select the method of construction. Available options include: · Auto Ellipse: To allow PCDMIS to automatically determine the best method of construction: 1. Access the Construct Ellipse dialog box. 2. Select the Auto option from the list of options. 3. Select the desired feature(s) based on the table below. 4. Click the Create button. · Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Ellipse: A "best fit" ellipse can be constructed from three or more features. The ellipse lies in the current working plane. The best fit construction method takes the actual measured points, rather than the ball's center (as is the case of best fit recompensate). In both cases PCDMIS computes a least squares ellipse, one for which PCDMIS minimizes the average squared distance from the data points to the ellipse. To construct a Best Fit Ellipse or a Best Fit Recompensate Ellipse: 1. Access the Construct Ellipse dialog box. 2. Select either the Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate option (shown as Best Fit and BF Recomp). 3. Select at least 4 features or a scan or a set comprised of at least four points. 4. Click the Create button. · Cast Ellipse: To construct a Cast Ellipse: 1. Access the Construct Ellipse dialog box. 2. Select the Cast option. 3. Select at least one features of any type. 4. Click the Create button. 37

· Projection Ellipse: To construct a Projected Ellipse: 1. Access the Construct Ellipse dialog box (Insert | Feature | Constructed | Ellipse). 2. Select the Projection option. 3. Select a feature of any type. Note: A second feature can also be selected. It must be a plane. 4. Click the Create button. · Reverse direction Ellipse: An Ellipse can be constructed with a reversed vector. To change the direction of a ellipse: 1. Access the Construct Ellipse dialog box (Insert | Feature | Constructed | Ellipse). 2. Select the Reverse option. 3. Select one feature. It must be an ellipse. 4. Click the Create button.

6. Constructed Slot:

Construct Slot dialog box

To construct a Slot: 1. Access the Construct Slot dialog box by clicking Constructed Slot from Constructed Feature toolbar (Insert>Feature>Constructed>Slot). 2. Select the In or Out option to define the constructed slot as a hole or stud slot respectively. 3. Select one of the following construction methods: Circles, Best Fit, or BF Recomp. 4. Select your inputs based on the type of slot you will construct. 5. Click the Create button.  Circle Slot: The round slot constructed from two circles is defined mostly by the first circle selected. The slot is constructed in the same plane as the first circle. The width of the slot is also determined by the diameter of the first circle. The second circle is only used to determine the length of the slot. The length is the distance from the center of the first circle to center of the second plus the diameter of the first circle. If the two input circles are not coplanar, the center of the second circle is projected perpendicularly onto the plane of the first circle. The distance is then calculated from the center of the first circle to the projected center of the second. 38

To construct a Round Slot from Circles: 1. Access the Construct Slot dialog box. 2. Select In or Out. 3. Select the Circles option. 4. Select two Circle features for inputs. 5. Click the Create button.  Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Slot: The Best Fit (BF) and the Best Fit Recompensate (BFRE) are constructed from 4 or more features. The constructed slots vector is normal (perpendicular) to the working plane. The BFRE construction uses the ball center combined with the probe radius to compute the slot. The compensation is an integral part of the fitting. The BF construction compensates the measured points prior to fitting. The height of the slot from the workplane is the average of all the input features. To construct a BF or BFRE Slot: 1. Access the Construct Slot dialog box. 2. Select In or Out. 3. Select the BF or BFRE option. 4. Select at least 4 features. They can be any feature type. 5. Click the Create button.

7. Constructed Cylinder:

Cylinder Construction dialog box

To construct a cylinder: 1. Access the Construct Cylinder dialog box by clicking Constructed Cylinder from Constructed Feature toolbar (Insert>Feature>Constructed>Cylinder). 2. Input the desired features. 3. Select the method of construction. Available options include: · Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Cylinder: To Construct a Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Cylinder: 1. Access the Construct Cylinder dialog box. 2. Select either the Best Fit or BF Recomp option. 3. Enter your input features by either choosing at least two appropriate circle features or at least six features of any type. For at least two circle features, they must be measured circles. The total amount of hits in each circle must be at least three. 39

For at least six features, they can be of any type. However, if you selected BF Recomp, at least one feature must be a point. 4. Click the Create button. Best Fit Type

This list becomes available if you select Best Fit or BF Recomp options when constructing the cylinder. It allows you to specify the type of Best Fit construction used. Available types include: · LEAST_SQR · MAX_INSC · MIN_CIRCSC · MIN_SEP · FIXED_RAD · Cast Cylinder: A cylinder can be constructed by changing any given feature into a cylinder. PCDMIS will construct the cylinder at the centroid of the input feature. If a sheet metal point is used, the diameter will be the probe diameter. For some sheet metal features (such as slots and notches) the width will be used as the diameter. For features that do not have diameters (lines, points, etc.), a value that is four times the probe diameter will be used. You can change the size of the cylinder; this changes the cylinder from DEPENDENT to INDEPENDENT. This means that when the cylinder is executed that the length and diameter will not change based on the input feature but will be independent of the input feature, while the position and vector will remain dependent on the input feature. This allows you to have control over the cylinder size in cases where the input feature doesn’t really have a length and diameter, such as a point. The DEPENDENT/INDEPENDENT field is a toggle field that you may change. PCDMIS will use the new attributes for all calculations (for example, if the diameter is changed) instead of the default values as described above. To construct a Cast Cylinder: 1. Access the Construct Cylinder dialog box. 2. Select the Cast option. 3. Select one feature. The feature can be of any type. 4. Click the Create button. · Projected Cylinder: A cylinder can be constructed from any feature and a plane. The diameter of the projected cylinder will be the diameter of the first input feature (if circular) or twice the probe diameter if not a circular feature. You will need to input the length and diameter for bound measurements. If there is only one input feature, the projection will be to the work plane. To construct a Projected Cylinder: 1. Access the Construct Cylinder dialog box. 2. Select the Projection option. 3. Select either one or two features. If one feature is selected, the feature can be of any type. If two features are selected, the first feature can be of any type. The second feature must be a plane. 4. Click the Create button. · Reversed direction Cylinder: A cylinder can be constructed with a reversed vector. To construct a Reverse Cylinder: 1. Access the Construct Cylinder dialog box. 2. Select the Reverse option. 3. Select one feature. It must be a cylinder. 4. Click the Create button. 40

· Auto Cylinder: To allow PCDMIS to automatically determine the best method of construction: 1. Access the Construct Cylinder dialog box. 2. Select the Auto option from the list of options. 3. Select the desired feature(s) based on the table below. 4. Click the Create button.

8. Constructed Cone:

Construct Cone dialog box

To construct a cone: 1. Access the Construct Cone dialog box by clicking Constructed Cone from Constructed Feature toolbar (Insert>Feature>Constructed>Cone). 2. Input the desired features. 3. Select the method of construction. Available options include: · Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Cone: A best fit cone can be constructed using six or more features. The first three inputs must be on an approximately planar cross section of the cone that is normal to its centerline. The remainder of the points should lie either above or below the plane defined by the first three points, but not on both sides of the plane. This method of measuring will yield the best results. The best fit construction method takes the actual measured points, rather than the ball's center (as in the case of best fit recompensate). In both cases PCDMIS computes a least squares cone, one for which PCDMIS minimizes the average squared distance from the data points to the cone. To Construct a Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Cone: 1. Access the Construct Cone dialog box. 2. Select either the Best Fit or BF Recomp option. 3. Enter in at least six features. Note: If you choose Best Fit Recompensate at least one feature must be a point. 4. Click the Create button. · Cast Cone: A cone can be constructed by changing any given feature into a cone. PCDMIS will construct the cone at the centroid of the input feature. If the input feature is not a cone, PCDMIS will use a default value for the included angle. If the input feature is not a line element (line, cylinder, or slot), PCDMIS will use a default length for the axis length. You can change the size of the cone; this changes the cone from DEPENDENT to INDEPENDENT. This means that when the cone is executed that the size will not change based on the input feature, but will be independent of the 41

input feature, while the position and vector remain dependent on the input feature. This allows you to have control over the cone's size in cases where the input feature doesn't really have a size, such as a point. The DEPENDENT/INDEPENDENT field is a toggle field that you may change. PCDMIS will use the new attributes for all calculations (for example, if the half angle is changed) instead of the default values as described above. To construct a Cast Cone: 1. Access the Construct Cone dialog box. 2. Select the Cast option. 3. Select one feature of any type. 4. Click the Create button. · Projected Cone: A cone can be constructed by projecting any feature onto a plane. If the projected input feature is not a cone, PCDMIS will use default values for the included angle and two axis lengths. The first length is the distance between the vertex and the first circle. The second length is the distance between the two circles. If there is only one input, the projection will be to the current work plane. To construct a Projected Cone: 1. Access the Construct Cone dialog box. 2. Select the Projection option. 3. Select either one or two features. If one feature is selected, the feature can be of any type. If two features are selected, the first feature can be of any type. The second feature must be a plane. 4. Click the Create button. · Reversed direction Cone: A cone can be constructed with a reversed vector. To construct a Reverse Cone: 1. Access the Construct Cone dialog box. 2. Select the Reverse option. 3. Select one feature. It must be a cone. 4. Click the Create button. · Auto Cone: To allow PCDMIS to automatically determine the best method of construction: 1. Access the Construct Cone dialog box. 2. Select the Auto option the list of options. 3. Select the desired feature(s) based on the table below. 4. Click the Create button.

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9. Constructed Sphere:

Construct Sphere dialog box To construct a sphere: 1. Access the Construct Sphere dialog box by clicking Constructed Sphere from Constructed Feature toolbar (Insert>Feature>Constructed>Sphere).

2. Input the desired features. 3. Select the method of construction. Available options include: · Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Sphere: To construct a Best Fit or a Best Fit Recompensate Sphere: 1. Access the Construct Sphere dialog box. 2. Select either the Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate option (shown as Best Fit and BF Recomp). 3. Select five or more features. Note: On Best Fit Recompensate, one of the five features must be a point. 4. Click the Create button. · Cast Sphere: To construct a Cast Sphere: 1. Access the Construct Sphere dialog box. 2. Select the Cast option. 3. Select one feature of any type. 4. Click the Create button. · Projected Sphere: A sphere can be constructed by projecting any feature into the current working plane. PCDMIS will project the point where the plane intersects the point. If there is only one input feature, the projection will be to the work plane. You should input the desired diameter when projecting a feature into the working plane; Otherwise PCDMIS will use the probes' diameter. To construct a Projected Sphere: 1. Access the Construct Sphere dialog box. 2. Select the Projection option. 3. Select either one or two features. The first feature can be of any type. The second feature must be a plane. 4. Click the Create button. 43

· Auto Sphere: To allow PCDMIS to automatically determine the best method of construction: 1. Access the Construct Sphere dialog box. 2. Select the Auto option from the list of options. 3. Select the desired feature(s) based on the table below. 4. Click the Create button.

(x) Dimensioning Toolbar : 3

1

2

7

5

4

6

8

9

15 11 13

10 12

17

14

18 16

1: Location Dimension ; 2:True Position Dimension ; 3: Distance Dimension ; 4: Angle Dimension ; 5: Concentricity Dimension ; 6: Co-axiality Dimension; 7: Circularity Dimension; 8: Cylindricity Dimension 9: Straightness Dimension; 10: Flatness Dimension; 11: Perpendicularity Dimension; 12: Parallelism Dimension; 13: Total runout Dimension; 14: Circular runout Dimension; 15: Profile Surface Dimension 16: Profile Line Dimension; 17: Angularity Dimension; 18: Symmetry Dimension Description of Dimensioning Features Few important dimensioning features are described briefly in this section. However, details of all the features (1-18) labeled above are well documented in the HELP file of the software. Dimensioning Location (Feature#1)

Feature Location dialog box The Insert > Dimension > Location menu option calculates the distance from the feature to the X,Y, Z origin, parallel to its respective axis. The feature's diameter, angle, and vector are also part of the calculation. This section relates only to location or coordinates dimensioning. For position dimensions, Location can be 44

calculated using Cartesian or Polar coordinates, True Position or box tolerance. To switch between Cartesian and Polar coordinates, select Pang or Prad in the Feature Location dialog box. · To switch between TRUE POSITION and RECT tolerancing methods see the Dimensioning True Position dimension option. To Dimension a Feature using the LOCATION Option: 1. Select Insert >Dimension >Location from the submenu. The Feature Location dialog box will appear. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box. 3. Select the desired axes from the Axes area. The Auto check box is marked as the default. If the Auto check box is marked, PCDMIS will automatically determine the default axes to display in the dimension. Dimensioning True Position (Feature#2)

True Position dialog box To Dimension a Feature using the TRUE POSITION Option: 1. Select Insert >Dimension > True Position from the submenu. The True Position dialog box will appear. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box. 3. If desired, select the Display check box in the Dimension Info area and click Edit to select the Dimension Info Format you would like displayed in the Graphics Display window. 4. Click the Create button. If you have not selected any check boxes from the Axes area, the Create button will be unavailable for selection. Dimensioning Distance (Feature#3)

Distance dialog box 1. Select Insert >Dimension >Distance from the submenu. The Distance dialog box will appear. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box. 3.Type the plus tolerance value in the Plus box. 4. Select either Inch or MM in the Units section. 5. Select where to output the dimension information. Select the Statistics, Report, Both, or None option. 6. Select either the 2 Dimensional or 3 Dimensional option in order to specify the distance type. 7. Select either the To Feature, To X Axis, To Y Axis or To Z Axis option to determine the relationship that defines the distance. 45

8. Select the optional Display check box if you want to view dimension information in the Graphics Display window. 9. Select the desired Analysis options by marking the Textual check box or the Graphical check box. If the Graphical check box was marked, enter the Multiplier value in the Multiplier box. 10. Click the Create button. Dimensioning Angle (Feature#4)

Angle dialog box To Dimension the Angle Between Two Features: 1. Select Insert>Dimension>Angle from the submenu. The Angle dialog box will appear. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box. 3. Select either the 2 Dimensional or 3 Dimensional option in order to specify the angle type. 4. Select either the To Feature, To X Axis, To Y Axis or To Z Axis option to determine the relationship that defines the angle. 5. Click the Create button Dimensioning Concentricity (Feature#5)

Concentricity dialog box 1. Select Insert>Dimension>Concentricity from the submenu. The Concentricity dialog box will appear. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box and select the desired options 3. Click the Create button. Dimensioning Circularity (Feature#7)

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Circularity dialog box To Dimension a Feature using the CIRCULARITY Option: 1. Select Insert>Dimension>Circularity from the submenu. The Circularity dialog box will appear. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box 3. Select other options accordingly as discussed in the previous case 4. Click the Create button. Dimensioning Cylindricity (Feature#8)

Cylindricity dialog box 1. Select Insert>Dimension>Cylindricity from the submenu. The Cylindricity dialog box will appear. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box. You can only select cylinder features. 3. Select other features as per the requirement. 4. Click the Create button. Dimensioning Perpendicularity (Feature#11)

Perpendicularity dialog box To Dimension a Feature Using the PERPENDICULARITY Option: 1. Select Insert>Dimension>Perpendicularity from the submenu. The Perpendicularity dialog box will appear. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box. 3. Select the appropriate Material Condition options for the feature(s) and datum. 4. If a datum feature is desired, select the Use Datums check box and select another feature in the Feature List box. 5. Select the appropriate Material Condition options for the feature(s) and datum. 6. Type the plus tolerance value in the Plus box. 7. Enter the projected distance in the Distance box. 8. Select rest of the options as mentioned in earlier features 9. Click the Create button. Dimensioning Parallelism (Feature#12)

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Parallelism dialog box To Perform a Dimension using PARALLELISM: 1. Select Insert>Dimension>Parallelism from the submenu. The Parallelism dialog box appears. 2. Select the feature(s) to dimension from the Feature List box. 3. If a datum feature is desired, select the Use Datums check box. 4. If a datum feature is desired, select another feature in the Feature List box. 5. Select the appropriate Material Condition options for the feature(s) and datum. 6. Type the plus tolerance value in the Plus box. 7. Type the projection distance in the Distance box. 8. Select rest options as discussed earlier 9. Click the Create button.

(xi) Programming: (a) Steps for Alignment Alignment of the part coordinate system is very essential before taking the actual measurements. This gives accurate dimensions of the job/part. Place the job in the desired location.

Use keys Control+ Alt+A or go to Menu bar >Insert >Alignment> New

Alignment utilities window appears. Align or Level the part coordinate system by 3-2-1 feature as described below: 3 point leveling 48

This feature is for leveling the working plane. Create plane using manual feature. Take 3 sample hits on the plane such that it covers the entire plane. Plane created from 3 sample hits in the CAD view.

ZPLUS

In the Alignment Utilities window, select the created plane and the working plane to which former plane has to be leveled e.g. Z PLUS in this case. Click Level.

Plane selected

Created plane leveled to ZPLUS

Click OK 2 point leveling This feature is for leveling the axis. This can be done by creating a line (using manual feature) or by selecting the two circles (using manual feature) on the desired plane. Once the line/circles (whichever applicable) are made, select the circles: CIR1 and CIR2 in the alignment window. Fill up Rotate to and About box for leveling the X- and Y-axis Click on Rotate.

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Viewing direction

YPLUS

XPLUS

Circles selected

Line joining the centers of 2 selected circles leveled in Xaxis

1 point leveling This feature is for fixing the Origin which is essential for Dimensioning. Two lines are made manually in two different planes Click on Constructed Point in Constructed Feature toolbar and select Intersection Point to get the intersection of the above two lines In order to project the newly created point on the defined plane (say Z Plus in this case), click on Constructed point and then select Project Point Select the projected point from the list in the alignment dialog box Click on X,Y,Z Click on Origin

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Click OK finally to exit the Alignment Utilities window when alignment procedure is completed. ** Note: Other alternative features such as intersection of 3 planes can also be used for

fixing the

origin

(b) Steps for Block Programming Once the alignment is done, click on DCC mode Auto features get activated and hence used for the programming Steps for block programming are given with reference to the following illustration:

Sphere1

Cone1 Circle2

Slot 1

Circle1

Circles 3-6

Circle 1: Click on Auto Circle.

Take 3 sample hits to define the surface and 3 hits to define the diameter manually using the remote control. Go to Probe Tool box. Make necessary settings (as discussed in the previous section) by clicking on the tabs. Go to Auto Feature window. Define Start angle and End angle. Activate Circular move. Click on Create. When the AUTO MODE REQUIRED option appears at the bottom of the window, click on AUTO in the remote control unit. Probe automatically starts taking the measurement. Circle 1 is created. Circles (2 -7): From simplicity, origin can be shifted temporarily to the centre of circle 1 for creating the surrounding circles 2-7. To shift origin: 51

Use keys Control+ Alt+A or go to Menu bar Pattern Offset window appears > No. of Offsets = 5, Offset Angle = 60º (in this case) Select the block for circle 2 in the Edit window. Right click and copy the selected block program. Go to Edit > click on Paste with Pattern. Circles 3-7 are created. Origin can be shifted back to the previous one. Change the option in the alignment from A2 to A1 (as in this case) combo box of the menu bar.

Cone 1: Click on Auto cone.

Take 3 sample hits on the surface, 3 hits on the periphery of the upper part and 1 hit on the periphery of the lower part. Go to Auto Feature window. > Define Length i.e. depth of the cone approximately. Go to probe tool box. Make necessary settings (as discussed in the previous section) by clicking on the tabs. 52

Rest same as Auto Circle. Cone is created. Sphere 1:

Take 3 sample hits on the equatorial line and 1 hit on the top manually. Make settings in the tool probe box. Go to Auto Feature settings > Measurement Properties Report Window Print Set up option

Report Print option dialog box appears

Report can be saved either in RTF or PDF format in the desired location

Viewing the Report Go to View in the menu >Report Window

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Report window:

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