Simplifications of the volumetric error model because of the structural loop of machine tools

Abstract After many years of intensive work the international experts from ISO TC 39 published the technical report called ISO TR 16907 “Machine tools – numerical compensation of geometric errors”. This document defines the terminology, presents benefits and limitations of numerical compensation of machine tools’ and measuring machines’ errors. It gives machines manufacturers and users vital information about how to use numerical compensation. In the context of those types of compensation defined in ISO TR 16907, this article shows rules of selecting models of Volumetric Error for three-axis machine tools. What is more, this paper presents some principles of reduction of these proposed models because of the functional tasks for machine tools. One of the obtained results is an array of reduced models for three-axis machine tools. This array determines the degree of detail of the model and the experimental research program that needs to be carried out in order to determine the Volumetric Error distribution.