Practical inspection system of drill point geometry by using simple measurement jig and image processing

The proper simple inspection system for drill point geometry will support the skillful drill regrinding operation. In this paper, a newly developed system for practical use in machine shops has been described. The measurement method is based on silhouette image processing described in the author’s previous papers. But, for easy and robust inspection, a simple measurement jig was designed and the identification method of the five geometrical parameters describing its complete geometry was modified. Then, the error motion of the jig was tested and a compensation strategy of its error was proposed. The results show that the drill angles such as the outer clearance angle measured by this system are more precise than those measured by a microscope. Moreover, this system can measure the five geometrical parameters of the drill, which cannot be measured by using the microscope.