Five-axes accuracy enhancement by compact and integral design

The increasing complexity of micro-parts requires high-precise five-axes machining. Since the available systems are significantly limited in their accuracy, the Fraunhofer IPT has developed a five-axes grinding machine for achieving spatial working accuracies of 3 μm. The development focus, as described in the following, was set especially on decreasing the error activating cantilevers by simply reducing the component sizes (compact design) and implementing an integral design consequently. Due to an extensive machine Error Budget with sensitivity analysis, specific error influences have been identified and accuracy enhancements have been carried out, exemplarily by integrating hydrostatic bearings into a torque drive.