Development and Extrinsic Calibration of a 3D Optical Multisensor Platform Using Laser Line Scanner and a Three-Axis Linear Motion Unit

The area-based three-dimensional optical inspection of workpiece geometries is the basis for quality control, maintenance tasks and many other typical applications in mechanical engineering and automation such as adaptive manufacturing. In the context of a cyber-physical approach for semi-autonomous post-processing of additively manufactured parts, this method provides the basis for an iterative manufacturing approach. Commercially available systems for optical inspections often rely on camera-based methods, which are, however, susceptible to reflections. This article describes an approach for developing an optical scan station that uses blue laser line scanners in combination with a Cartesian three-axis motion system and a turntable. The methodical procedure for an extrinsic calibration of the whole system is presented and the accuracy that could be achieved is evaluated.