Distance measurement from 2" to 10" with 0.0001" accuracy

DROBNJAK

Can one use ultrasound for such an measurement?

What kind of electromagnetic wave source and sensor should one use?

f95toli

No sound won't work, you need a good laser system.

DROBNJAK

thank you f95toli.

hm, laser.

Can one build phased array with laser diodes? I kind of want to measure the position, as well as the shape of the object.

Topher925

It depends. If you are going to be doing this with interferometry you will need a laser with relatively good coherence in order for it to work.

There are a lot of ways to measure the distance and shape of an object using optics. All methods have their own caveats and should be chosen carefully. Can you give us more detail on what exactly it is your trying to do? Keep in mind that optics and cheap usually don't play well together.

DROBNJAK

in machining, time is kind off expensive. The most expensive part is setting up the workpiece and tools.

So I thought to use some sort of remote distance measurement, laser, ultrasound, interference ( good one ), to measure the shape and position of the workpiece in 3D so that CNC tools can be set up automatically.

Topher925

You might want to check out Digital Image Correlation. DIC is capable of micrometer accuracies, can do position measurement and can require a lot less hardware than other methods.

DROBNJAK

thanks Topher925, DIC looks really good.