This procedure is only necessary when the following conditions exist.
The Mechanical offsets have not been setup after CMM installation.
The probe head has been crashed, removed, turned, or loosened.
The probe head has been adjusted in its mounting location and/or its position.
DO NOT use the MEA_MECH_OFS_SPHERE tool for any other reason!
To establish the mechanical offsets:
Place the SMI-supplied calibration artifact (sphere) in the MEA hole on the CMM table location and secure.
Open the PC-DMIS Probe Utilities dialog box (Insert | Hardware Definition | Probe).
Create a probe file and define the probe that accurately represents the physical probe components for the buildup.
Any incorrect definition of the probe buildup results in inaccurate mechanical offsets.
SMI suggests you use a short straight stylus with a simple configuration, and use only an A0B0 angle.
Click the Measure button to open the Measure Probe dialog box.
Select the MEA_MECH_OFS_SPHERE tool from the list of available tools.
This Tool establishes the offset differences in X, Y, Z from PC-DMIS’s Nominal X, Y, Z offsets.
Set the desired parameters.
Click YES to the message box query, "Has the qualification tool been moved or the Zero point changed?"
Qualify the tip.
After calibration, the software displays the message "Offsets are: X = ######, Y = ######, Z = #######"
If the message is "The mechanical offset values for X,Y,Z exceed specified tolerances!", click CANCEL to avoid sending the wrong mechanical offsets to the controller. Check your probe buildup for accurate probe definition as a possible cause for invalid mechanical offsets.