A novel 6-DoF force and torque measuring system for tactile probing based on the Kibble balance principle

The paper presents a novel type measuring head for active tactile coordinate measurements in coordinate measuring machines. The measuring head combines a position detection system with a force actuating and sensing system to enable 6-DoF measurements of probing forces and torques, acting during tactile coordinate measurements. The system consists of six voice coil actuators in a hexapod-like arrangement, that are capable of levitating a floating tactile probing element. The paper is dedicated to give an overview of the system design and working principle and describes the procedure of the voice coil actuators dimensioning.