SBIR Phase I: Novel Triangulation Gauge

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将为精密零件制造提供快速，高性能测量的关键工具。高精度零件通常在制造过程中使用基于20至30年历史的技术的固定量规进行检查，每年的维护成本为数百万美元，并且使用接触方法可能需要2-3个小时，而机器时间总计为20-24小时。 改进过程中零件的测量将导致更好的制造实践和更高质量的零件。拟议的能力将使这一步骤所需的时间减少8到10倍，使过程中测量更具经济可行性，并将工厂的机器利用率提高20%，每年可能在全行业节省超过1亿美元。 该项目的智力价值在于开发了创建可用于各种表面的长距离、高精度激光三角测量仪所需的新技术。 传统的激光三角测量仪在过去的40年里变化不大，提供了可靠但有限的点或轮廓测量，广泛应用于当今的制造业。目前的激光测距仪的距离分辨率约为2000比1，在特殊情况下可能达到4000比1。 50，000比1的距离分辨率能力将大大扩展这种测量仪的应用潜力。 该项目重新构想了三角测量仪的基本机制，将测量过程与基于激光的系统中固有的噪声分离开来。 该方法将使用光的直接角度测量，而不是从零件表面成像激光光斑。这一目标将通过采用目前三角测量仪中未使用的相位测量方法来实现。预期的结果将是在300毫米的距离范围内以及在表面光洁度和纹理的变化上具有微米级分辨率的量规。 该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will enable a critical tool for fast, high-performance measurement for precision parts manufacturing. High-precision parts are typically checked during manufacturing using fixed gauges based on 20-to-30-year-old technology costing several million dollars a year in maintenance and can take 2-3 hours using contact methods, out of a total of 20-24 hours of machine time. Improved measurements of parts in process will lead to better manufacturing practices and higher-quality parts. The proposed capability would reduce the time required for this step by a factor of 8 to 10, making in-process measurement more economically viable as well as improving machine utilization in a plant by as much as 20 percent, potentially driving savings of over $100 million per year industry-wide. The intellectual merit of this project is the development of new techniques needed to create a long-range, high-precision laser triangulation gauge usable on a wide range of surfaces. Traditional laser triangulation gauges have changed little in the past 40 years, providing a reliable but limited point or profile measurement used widely in manufacturing today. Current laser gauge range-to-resolution is around 2000 to 1, achieving perhaps 4000 to 1 in special circumstances. A range-to-resolution capability of 50,000 to 1 would greatly expand the application potential of such gauges. The proposed project reimagines the basic mechanisms in triangulation gauges to separate the measurement process from the noise inherent in laser-based systems. Rather than imaging a laser spot from the part surface, the method will use a direct angular measurement of the light. This objective will be realized by adapting phase measurement methods not used in triangulation gauges today. The anticipated result will be a gauge with micron-level resolution over distance ranges of 300 millimeters and over variations in surface finish and texture. This capability will fill a critical void in measurement tool capability for manufacturing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.