Modelling and compensation of fixture locators’ error in CNC milling

Fixture errors are one of the error sources in machining operations. The fixture errors consist of positioning inaccuracies and errors due to workpiece and fixture deformations. Fixture locators’ height error causes incorrect positioning of the workpiece in the fixture and inaccuracy in machined surfaces which can be much more than the locators’ height error. For machining precise workpieces, it is necessary to eliminate these errors. This paper presents a method for modelling and compensating the fixture locators’ height error effect on workpiece machined surfaces. In this method, the planes of workpiece actual coordinate system (ACS) are mathematically modelled in the workpiece theoretical coordinate system (TCS). Using the model, required homogenous transformation matrix for coinciding ACS with TCS and modifying machining toolpath for compensating the errors is generated. The presented model is used to develop a post-processing fixture locator error compensation module, which can modify CNC machining codes to eliminate the effect of fixture locators’ height error on the workpiece machined surfaces. For verifying the presented method, machining simulations and cutting experiments have been performed in this work. The results show that the method can eliminate the effect of fixture locators’ height error on the workpiece machined surfaces considerably.