Manual

VMA 11.6.2 Touch Probe Manual

🔧 What This Manual Covers

This manual covers Touch Probe-specific functionality only. The TP system includes ALL vision measurement capabilities from VMA 11.6.2 PLUS physical contact measurement using a touch trigger probe. This enables true 3D measurement of cones, cylinders, torus, and other complex geometries that vision cannot measure.

Chapter 1

Vision vs Touch Probe Measurement

Two Measurement Technologies

The VMA 11.6.2TP system combines two measurement technologies:

🔬 Vision Measurement

Camera-based. Measures what projects onto the 2D sensor. Excellent for edges, holes, outlines. Limited depth perception.

🔧 Touch Probe

Physical contact. Tactile sensor touches the surface. True 3D measurement. Can reach features vision cannot see.

Capability Comparison

Feature	Vision	Touch Probe
Circle	✓	✓
Line	✓	✓
Plane	Limited	✓
Sphere	Limited	✓
Cylinder	✗	✓ TP Only
Cone	✗	✓ TP Only
Torus	✗	✓ TP Only
Deep Holes	✗	✓
Transparent Parts	✓	✓
Reflective Surfaces	Limited	✓

When to Use Touch Probe

Deep holes or recesses — Vision can't see inside
True 3D geometry — Cones, cylinders, torus shapes
Reflective or low-contrast surfaces — Vision struggles
High-precision 3D features — Tactile is more accurate for depth
GD&T on 3D surfaces — Cylindricity, true position in 3D

Two Calibration Systems

⚠️ Important: Touch Probe requires its own calibration SEPARATE from vision calibration. You must complete BOTH:

Vision calibration: Camera, magnification, parcentricity
Probe calibration: Stylus tip position, probe offset

Chapter 2

Touch Probe Calibration

Touch probe calibration is essential for accurate 3D measurement. The probe tip position must be precisely known relative to the machine coordinate system.

Calibration Types

Calibration	Purpose	When Required
BaseProbeCalib	Reference stylus calibration using reference sphere	First setup, after stylus change, periodically for accuracy
ProbeCalib	Working stylus calibration against reference	When adding new styli to your system
ManualProbeCalib	Manual calibration for non-standard setups	Special fixtures, troubleshooting
ModuleChangerCalib	Automatic module changer calibration	Systems with probe change rack

BaseProbeCalib (Reference Stylus) — 12-Step Process

This is the master calibration. All other styli are calibrated against this reference.

Module Selection
Select which probe module to calibrate.

Module Shape Definition
Enter stylus geometry: length (0.1–999.999 mm), tip diameter (0.1–999.999 mm), angle (0–180°).

Pre-calibration Settings
Configure measurement parameters.

Relative Position Setup
Establish reference positions for Image XY, Image Z, Touch Probe Z, and high magnification light.

Reference Stylus Measurement
Automatic measurement of reference sphere. Progress displayed: "Under automatic measurements – 1/n(m)..."

Ring Gauge Positioning
Move reference stylus over ring gauge surface.

Ring Gauge Measurement
Verify calibration accuracy with ring gauge.

Result Verification
Check calibration accuracy. Apply if acceptable.

Key Calibration Parameters

Parameter	Range	Description
Stylus length	0.1 – 999.999 mm	Length from mount to tip center
Tip diameter	0.1 – 999.999 mm	Sphere diameter at tip
Stylus angle	0 – 180°	Angle of stylus from vertical

⚠️ Critical: If automatic measurement is aborted, it CANNOT be restarted from the abort position. Must restart from the beginning using the [Back] button.

Chapter 3

3D Base Elements

These elements require touch probe measurement. Vision-only systems cannot measure these geometries.

Cone

Purpose: Measure conical features — tapered holes, conical surfaces, chamfers with angle.

Minimum Points: 6 points (3 on each of two circumferences perpendicular to the cone axis)

Method	Points Required
Measurement points	6 – 10,000
Recall point element	6 – 10,000
Recall cone element	1

Output Items:

Angle N, N1 — Axis orientation angles
Vertex angle — Cone half-angle
Coordinate X, Y, Z — Apex position
Deviation E — Form error (conicity)
True position — Position relative to datum

Cylinder

Purpose: Measure cylindrical features — holes, shafts, pins, bores.

Minimum Points: 6 points (3 on each of two circumferences perpendicular to cylinder axis)

Method	Points Required
Measurement points	6 – 10,000
Recall point element	6 – 10,000
Recall cylinder element	1

Output Items:

Angle N, N1 — Axis orientation angles
Diameter D or Radius R — Cylinder size
Deviation E — Cylindricity (form error)
True position — Position relative to datum

💡 Tip: D/R output can be switched via [Change output item] in the Edit menu.

Torus

Purpose: Measure toroidal features — O-ring grooves, doughnut-shaped surfaces, circular tubes.

Minimum Points: 9 points (3 points on each of three circumferences perpendicular to torus axis)

Method	Points Required
Measurement points	9
Recall point element	9
Recall torus element	1

Output Items:

Coordinate X, Y, Z — Center position
Angle N, N1 — Axis orientation
Major axis r — Tube center radius (distance from torus center to tube center)
Minor axis R — Tube radius
Deviation E — Form error
True position — Position relative to datum

Quick Reference: Minimum Points

Element	Minimum Points	Distribution
Cone	6	3 on each of 2 circumferences
Cylinder	6	3 on each of 2 circumferences
Torus	9	3 on each of 3 circumferences

Chapter 4

AutoMeasure 3D Wizards

These wizards automate the distribution of measurement points for 3D elements, dramatically reducing setup time for production measurement.

AutoMeasure Cone

Purpose: Automatically measure a cone with evenly distributed points.

Pre-measurement: 6 points minimum (3 on each of two circumferences)

Parameter	Range	Description
[Measure whole] checkbox	—	When checked, measures entire circumference during replay
Circumference	≥3	Points per circumference
Axis	≥2	Points between circumferences
Total limit	≤10,000	Circumference × Axis must not exceed

Process:

Enter a path point near measurement start position (sets approach distance)
Enter 6 pre-measurement points on two circumferences
Set distribution parameters (Circumference × Axis)
During replay, points are automatically distributed

AutoMeasure Cylinder

Purpose: Automatically measure a cylinder with evenly distributed points.

Parameters: Same as AutoMeasure Cone

Output: Diameter, axis orientation, cylindricity

AutoMeasure Sphere

Purpose: Automatically measure a sphere with distributed points.

Pre-measurement: 4 points minimum on sphere surface

Distribution: Points are distributed across the sphere surface during replay based on pre-measurement geometry.

💡 Path Point Behavior:
• Path point before first measurement = approach distance for all points
• Path point after last measurement = retract position after measurement

Chapter 5

TP Hardware Settings

HardwareCncDlgTP

Purpose: Configure CNC motion parameters specific to touch probe operation.

Parameter	Description
Approach speed	Speed when moving toward surface
Measurement speed	Speed during actual touch contact
Retract distance	How far to back off after touch
Touch force threshold	Force at which touch is detected

HardwareJoystickTP

Purpose: Configure joystick for touch probe operation.

Settings include joystick sensitivity and manual movement modes specific to probe positioning.

HardwareJoystickBtnTP

Purpose: Configure joystick button assignments for touch probe functions.

HardwareOtherTP

Purpose: Miscellaneous touch probe hardware settings.

Includes:

Probe exchange configuration
Stylus changer settings
Reference sphere position

Chapter 6

TP Application Settings

AppTP — Touch Probe Settings

Purpose: Application settings specific to touch probe operation.

Auto-Generated Path Points

Path points are automatically inserted during touch probe measurement for safe probe approach and retract.

Setting	Range	Description
Distance of path points	0.1 – 9999.999 mm	Minimum travel distance before automatic path point insertion
Time of stop before input	1 – 30 seconds	Dwell time after movement before path point is recorded

Module Names

Assign descriptive names to probe modules.

Availability:

With module change rack: Module 1 to Module 3
Without module change rack: Module 1 to Module 6

Rules:

Maximum 10 characters (single-byte or double-byte)
Requires engineer or administrator privileges (cannot be set by operator)

⚠️ Privilege Required: Module names cannot be set with operator login. Requires engineer or administrator privileges.

Chapter 7

Key-In 3D Elements

Manual entry of 3D element data for theoretical or reference geometry.

Available Key-In Elements

Element	Purpose
KeyC Cone	Enter theoretical cone parameters from CAD or specifications
KeyC Cylinder	Enter theoretical cylinder parameters
KeyC Torus	Enter theoretical torus parameters

Use Case: Create theoretical elements from CAD data for comparison with measured data. Useful for deviation analysis when you know the nominal geometry.

Chapter 8

Common Gotchas

1. Probe Calibration Required
Touch probe MUST be calibrated before any 3D measurement. Vision calibration does NOT calibrate the touch probe. These are separate systems.

2. Path Points Are Safety-Critical
Touch probe recipes require path points for safe operation. Without them, the probe may crash into the part. Always verify path points before running replay.

3. Module Names Require Privileges
Cannot set module names with operator login. Requires engineer or administrator privileges.

4. Stylus Changes Require Calibration
Changing styli during a recipe requires the new stylus to be pre-calibrated. Using an uncalibrated stylus produces invalid measurements.

5. Measurement Speed Matters
Must be slow enough for accurate touch detection. Too fast = measurement errors or missed touches. Start slow, optimize later.

6. Approach Direction
Touch probe should approach perpendicular to surface for accurate measurement. Angled approaches can cause measurement bias.

7. Abort Recovery
If automatic calibration measurement is aborted, cannot restart from abort position. Must restart from beginning using [Back] button.

8. Pre-measurement Probe Selection
The probe used for the first pre-measurement point is used for ALL automatic points during replay. Ensure your first probe has appropriate settings.

💡 Best Practice: Always test a new touch probe recipe manually before running automated replay. Verify path points don't collide with fixtures or part geometry.

📚 Related Resources

This manual covers Touch Probe-specific features only. For vision measurement functionality shared by both systems, see the VMA 11.6.2 Manual.