A digital metrology process model (MPM) for measuring planning and data analysis and its application with a computer-aided system

With the rapid development of digital and flexible manufacturing technologies in the area of aircraft manufacturing, the digital metrologies and measurement data are applied and used not only in the phrase of product inspection but also in the phrases of product design and assembly. A reasonable plan is always needed for making good use of the digital measurement devices due to their complexities. In order to support the measuring planning and measurement data mining activities, in this paper, the digital measurement process is analyzed to build a digital metrology process model (MPM), which illustrates the contents of a measurement process with a three-dimensional structure, and reveals the measurement datum flow chains (MDFC). Then, the paper discusses the approaches of information management and measuring planning based on the metrology process model. To make them applicable, the digital measurement process platform is developed. The complete digital measurement system can be implemented by the DMPP application together with the digital measurement devices. The proposed model and methods provide a theoretically feasible way to effectively employ the digital metrologies in aircraft assembly.