Interferometric study of a machine tool

Higher demands on precise machining require advanced measuring techniques. Point sensors are well established in this field, but thermal analyses necessitate expensive reference structures made from INVAR or composite materials. Optical techniques offer significant advantages giving a continuous field of displacement information. This paper describes the use of speckle interferometry (DSPI) for the experimental investigation of a MIKROMAT 12H precision drilling and milling machine. A sophisticated conditioning cell allows to control the environmental temperature field. DSPI interferometers have been arranged in the cell in such a manner that large machine areas could be recorded at once. Quantitative measurements show the influence of thermal effects on the machine tool and its parts.