Overview
ISO 10360-3:2000 is part of the ISO GPS (Geometrical Product Specifications) family that defines acceptance and reverification tests for four‑axis coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) where a rotary table provides the fourth axis. The standard specifies how to verify that a CMM with a rotary table measures within the stated maximum permissible errors (MPE) by assessing the stability of measured sphere centres while the table is rotated. Test results and limits are expressed in micrometres.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope: Applies to CMMs with three measurement axes plus a rotary table used to orient the workpiece.
- Metrological characteristics: Defines three four‑axis errors - radial (FR), tangential (FT) and axial (FA) - and requires these errors of indication not to exceed the MPE values stated by the manufacturer (acceptance) or the user (reverification).
- Test principle: Measure the centres of two test spheres mounted on the rotary table across a series of angular positions; compute FR, FT and FA as the range (max − min) of measured centres in radial, tangential and axial directions.
- Test artefacts and limits:
- Two test spheres, diameter 10–30 mm (form must be certified; diameters need not be calibrated because only centres are used).
- Typical sphere locations and height/radius combinations are provided (examples include 200 mm and 400 mm heights/radii; see Table 1 in the standard).
- Procedure highlights:
- Define a workpiece coordinate system fixed to the rotary table.
- Measure one sphere while rotating the table through a recommended sequence of angular positions (including >720° coverage), then repeat for the second sphere.
- Calculate errors separately for each sphere in radial, tangential and axial directions.
- Environmental, stylus and operating conditions: Temperature, humidity, vibration limits and stylus configuration must be respected as specified by the manufacturer (acceptance) or by the user (reverification). Operation must follow the machine’s operating manual (start‑up, warm‑up, cleaning, probing qualification, rotary table setup).
Applications and users
- Who uses it: CMM manufacturers, metrology/calibration laboratories, quality assurance and inspection departments, procurement teams assessing machine acceptance, and organizations performing periodic reverification of CMMs.
- Practical uses:
- Formal acceptance testing of newly delivered four‑axis CMMs.
- Periodic reverification to maintain measurement traceability and compliance.
- Comparative evaluation of CMMs with rotary tables and matching machine capability to part tolerances for large or indexed measurements.
Related standards
- ISO 10360 series (Part 1: Vocabulary; Part 2: linear dimension tests; Part 4–6 other CMM modes)
- ISO 14253-1 (decision rules for conformity by measurement)
- International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM)
Keywords: ISO 10360-3:2000, GPS, coordinate measuring machine, CMM, acceptance test, reverification test, rotary table, four‑axis CMM, MPE, measurement uncertainty, test spheres, metrology.
