Development of a Rapid Optical Measurement System for Circular Workpieces with Irregular Tooth Contours after Broaching Process

During a manufacturing process, it is essential to quickly identify whether a tool needs to be replaced or adjusted, to ensure that production quality is not compromised. Therefore, the re-inspection of the product or first article inspection is an important process. Reducing the inspection time can reduce the time spent waiting for a product in the production line. This research aimed to design a system that can automatically and rapidly measure the dimensions of irregular tooth contours in the broaching process, to ensure cutting tools are replaced when necessary. This study developed an automatic machine for measuring the irregular tooth contours of large ring parts; the tooth root, tooth height, and tooth thickness of the workpiece are measured. The measurement diameter is approximately 200 mm, and the radial inspection accuracy is within ±20 μm; we aimed to reduce the detection time considerably. An optical micrometer and an automatic rotating platform were used in the measurement system. The workpieces to be measured were easy to install, and the eccentricity was automatically corrected by the system, thus saving time that would be taken to correct Abbe errors. This research successfully developed a rapid optical measurement system that can reduce the inspection time from 30 min to 60 s. Moreover, the maximum radial measurement error is −0.02 mm, which means that the measurement accuracy is within ±20 μm (total: 40 μm).