Design and analysis of experiments in CMM measurement uncertainty study

In applying a coordinate measuring machine to measure a mechanical object, many factors affect the measurement uncertainty. Although a number of studies have been reported in evaluating measurement uncertainty, few have applied the factorial design of experiments (DOE) to examine the measurement uncertainty, as defined in the ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM). This research applies the DOE approach to investigate the impact of the factors and their interactions on the uncertainty while following the fundamental rules of the GUM. The measurement uncertainty of the location of a hole measured by a coordinate measuring machine is used to demonstrate our methodology.