On the Geometric and Thermal Errors of a Hexapod Machine Tool

Abstract

This paper describes the measurement and analysis of the quasi-static errors of a prototype hexapod milling machine located at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Emphasis is placed on a) identification of the most important parametric errors and their potential impact on performance, b) description of the techniques used to measure and estimate the parametric errors, and c) application of various concepts to model the geometric and thermal errors of the hexapod.