Traceability of Height Measurements on Green Sand Molds using Optical 3D Scanning

Establishing a reliable measurement procedure for dimensional measurements on green sand molds is a prerequisite for analysis of geometric deviations in mass production of quality castings. Surface of the green sand mold is not suitable for measurements using a tactile coordinate measuring machine (CMM) which is traceable to the meter unit. Optical scanners are increasingly used for dimensional metrology without the risk of damaging the surface, but lack of international standards makes it difficult to establish traceability of their measurements and compare them to tactile instruments. This paper presents a metrological approach for height measurement on green sand molds using an optical 3D scanner with fringe projection. A new sand sample was developed with a hard binder to withstand the contact force of a touch probe, while keeping optical cooperativeness similar to green sand. The sample was calibrated on a dial gage set-up and implemented in optical measurements. The procedure of using calibrated workpieces (ISO 15530-3) was used to determine the uncertainty of optical measurements.