Coordinate measuring machine
Máquina de medición por coordenadas
- Date
- c. 1959 · confidence medium
- Place
- Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Ferranti
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A machine with a probe movable in three axes that records the coordinates of points on a part and compares them with the drawing. Ferranti developed the first to inspect military parts, and it replaced manual gauging with automatic inspection.
Ferranti in Scotland built the first CMM in the 1950s; the exact date (1956-1959) and location (Edinburgh) vary by source. The touch-trigger probe was invented by David McMurtry (Rolls-Royce, 1973).
What it led to
- automatic dimensional control in the aircraft and car industries
- touch-trigger probes (1973)
- 3D scanners and digital quality control