Enabling
manufacturing through coordinate metrology
Alessandro Balsamo
INRIM - National Institute of Research in Metrology,
Italy
Abstract
Coordinate
metrology is ubiquitous in manufacturing. Its appealing aspect is the
capability of adaptation to virtually any geometry to measure, as opposed to
other dimensional techniques and instruments that are task-specific. This
distinctive feature is also a major metrological issue though: measurement
tasks are virtually infinite and each is very different from all others,
resulting in any new measurement to be studied on its own as to the measurement
procedure, the assurance of traceability and the evaluation of the uncertainty.
Coordinate
metrology has enjoyed an extraordinary development in the last 30 years and
more and more techniques, sensors and apparatuses are available on the market.
Among them, notably the optical techniques and devices and the computer
tomography.
This talk
aims to present the state of the art in coordinate metrology. This encompasses
an overview of the principal measuring techniques, the available methods for
evaluating the uncertainty in industry, the state of the art in ISO documents
on the subject and the recent activity in the CCL (Consultative Committee for
Length), the Committee of the CIPM (International Committee on Weights and
Measures) in charge for length metrology.
Bio
Dr. Alessandro Balsamo is Fellow at INRIM
where has been a dimensional and coordinate metrologist since 1988. He is
member of two Consultative Committees of the CIPM: CCL (Length)
and CCU (Units). He is chair of the CCL‑WG MRA (Mutual
Recognition Arrangement) and CCL‑WG CM (Coordinate Metrology).
He is a long standing member of the ISO/TC 213 Dimensional and
Geometrical Product Specifications and Verification), where he convenes the
WG 4 Uncertainty and decision rules, was project leader of
three published international standards and one Technical Specification and is
of two international standards. He is currently President of the International
Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), which the most prestigious academic
organization in the field of production engineering..
