Verification of a calibration method for 3D screw thread metrology

The novel approach for holistic screw thread calibrations developed by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt was published in 2019. A significant achievement has been made in order to meet increasing demands in manufacturing processes and quality assurance, particularly when workpieces with complex geometries are under inspection. This article deals with the verification of the previously presented three-dimensional calibration procedure for screw threads. Screw thread pitch diameters, the lead and flank angles are compared to those determined by the standardized method based on line-like, rather two-dimensional measurements and evaluation. In order to provide a reliable basis for the verification, one thread gauge was calibrated under laboratory conditions for precision metrology. Additionally, calibrations were conducted by three alternating operators on three different coordinate measuring machines to investigate the influence by user and machine. The resulting normalized errors vertical bar E-n vertical bar of screw thread determinants under test and reference values are significantly smaller than 0.5 which indicates a high level of agreement.