I’ve had the privilege of using laser trackers on many applications. One of the most interesting and rewarding applications is their use on machine tool calibrations. I have used laser trackers to measure machine tools since the instruments first became a viable solution in the machine tool industry. However, using a laser tracker correctly on a machine tool requires a good understanding of the tracker technology as well as the machine tool. Most average laser tracker operators are not experts with machine tools and machine calibration.

During the past few years, my training and experience with traditional machine-tool calibration tools has increased and led to some insights about machine tools and calibration. In this month’s article, I’d like to focus on how the laser tracker, a tool not often associated with machine-tool calibration, can be used by the machine-tool industry.

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