So, I have two pins screwed into the table. I have a parallel clamped in a vise, and the vise is up against the pins. I park the probe a quarter inch off a corner of the parallel, and the program takes off and does an alignment.
Once it does that, it takes hits at either end of the parallel, and then compares their locations. It prompts the operator to nudge the vise one way or the other, until the two hits are within .01 of each other. and the face of the parallel is parallel to the front of the CMM to within that amount. I can then use the corner of the parallel to eyeball the squareness of my star probe. Still kind of a pain to get things lined up, but I have a reference to go by that I know is close to square with the table.
CHECK/0.3,1
PREHIT/0.3
COMMENT/OPER,NO,FULL SCREEN=NO,AUTO-CONTINUE=NO,
PLACE PROBE DIRECTLY ABOVE
CORNER OF PARALLEL AS PER PHOTO.
READPOINT =FEAT/POINT,CARTESIAN
THEO/<46.45789,15.9962,-23.53323>,<0,0,1>
ACTL/<46.09008,15.75631,-29.26277>,<0,0,1>
READPOINT/
READPOINT ALIGNMENT=ALIGNMENT/START,RECALL:STARTUP,LIST=YES
ALIGNMENT/TRANS,XAXIS,READPOINT
ALIGNMENT/TRANS,YAXIS,READPOINT
ALIGNMENT/TRANS,ZAXIS,READPOINT
ALIGNMENT/END
MODE/DCC
CLEARP/ZPLUS,0.5,ZPLUS,0,ON
TOP OF PARALLEL=FEAT/POINT,CARTESIAN
THEO/<-0.32839,0.37363,-0.35387>,<0,0,1>
ACTL/<-0.32847,0.37347,-0.39224>,<0,0,1>
MEAS/POINT,1
MOVE/CLEARPLANE
HIT/BASIC,NORMAL,<-0.32839,0.37363,-0.35387>,<0,0,1>,<-0.32847,0.37347,-0.39224>,USE THEO=YES
ENDMEAS/
END OF PARALLEL=FEAT/POINT,CARTESIAN
THEO/<-0.68733,-0.09977,-0.53108>,<0,0,1>
ACTL/<-0.68733,-0.11659,-0.60743>,<0,0,1>
MEAS/POINT,1
MOVE/CLEARPLANE
HIT/BASIC,NORMAL,<-0.68733,-0.09977,-0.53108>,<0,-1,0>,<-0.68733,-0.11659,-0.60743>,USE THEO=YES
ENDMEAS/
INIT ALIGN =ALIGNMENT/START,RECALL:READPOINT ALIGNMENT,LIST=YES
ALIGNMENT/TRANS,ZAXIS,TOP OF PARALLEL
ALIGNMENT/TRANS,YAXIS,END OF PARALLEL
ALIGNMENT/END
MOVE/CLEARPLANE
FRONT OF PARALLEL=FEAT/CONTACT/VECTOR POINT,CARTESIAN
THEO/<0,6,-0.15>,<1,0,0>
ACTL/<-0.00949,6.00002,-0.15001>,<1,0,0>
TARG/<0,6,-0.15>,<1,0,0>
SNAP=NO
SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
SHOW CONTACT PARAMETERS=NO
MAIN ALIGNMENT=ALIGNMENT/START,RECALL:INIT ALIGN,LIST=YES
ALIGNMENT/TRANS,ZAXIS,TOP OF PARALLEL
ALIGNMENT/TRANS,XAXIS,FRONT OF PARALLEL
ALIGNMENT/TRANS,YAXIS,FRONT OF PARALLEL
ALIGNMENT/END
STARTLOOP =LABEL/
MOVE/CLEARPLANE
LEFT SIDE =FEAT/CONTACT/VECTOR POINT,CARTESIAN
THEO/<0,-5.5,-0.15>,<1,0,0>
ACTL/<0.00126,-5.49996,-0.15001>,<1,0,0>
TARG/<0,-5.5,-0.15>,<1,0,0>
SNAP=NO
SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
SHOW CONTACT PARAMETERS=NO
MOVE/CLEARPLANE
RIGHT SIDE =FEAT/CONTACT/VECTOR POINT,CARTESIAN
THEO/<0,5.5,-0.15>,<1,0,0>
ACTL/<0.00374,5.49999,-0.15001>,<1,0,0>
TARG/<0,5.5,-0.15>,<1,0,0>
SNAP=NO
SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
SHOW CONTACT PARAMETERS=NO
RECALL/ALIGNMENT,INTERNAL,STARTUP
DIM LOC1= LOCATION OF POINT LEFT SIDE UNITS=IN ,$
GRAPH=OFF TEXT=OFF MULT=10.00 OUTPUT=BOTH HALF ANGLE=NO
AX NOMINAL +TOL -TOL MEAS OUTTOL DEV
X 46.45789 0.00000 0.00000 46.08185 0.37604 -0.37604 <--------
END OF DIMENSION LOC1
$$ NO,
THE NEXT LINE OF CODE EXTRACTS THE "MEAS' VALUE.
FOR THE DIMENSION OF THE HIT ON THE LEFT END OF
THE PARALLEL.
THE ONE AFTER THAT PLUGS THAT VALUE INTO THE
NOMINAL FOR THE DIMENSION FOR THE RIGHT SIDE.
THEN WE PULL THE DEVIATION FOR THAT DIMENSION
INTO A VARIABLE AND CHECK TO SEE IF IT IS WITHIN
PLUS OR MINUS .01. IF IT ISN'T, THEN WE CHECK TO SEE
IF IT IS MINUS OR PLUS AND PROMPT THE OPERATOR
TO MOVE THE REAR OF THE VISE A "SMIDGE" IN THE
APPROPRIATE DIRECTION.
ASSIGN/LEFT_POINT=LOC1.X.MEAS
DIM LOC2= LOCATION OF POINT RIGHT SIDE UNITS=IN ,$
GRAPH=OFF TEXT=OFF MULT=10.00 OUTPUT=BOTH HALF ANGLE=NO
AX NOMINAL +TOL -TOL MEAS OUTTOL DEV
X LEFT_POINT 0.00000 0.00000 46.08432 0.00247 0.00247 -------->
END OF DIMENSION LOC2
ASSIGN/DIFFERENCE=LOC2.X.DEV
IF/(DIFFERENCE > -.010) AND (DIFFERENCE < .010)
COMMENT/OPER,NO,FULL SCREEN=NO,AUTO-CONTINUE=NO,
PARALLEL IS SQUARE TO WITHIN
.020. ENDING PROGRAM.
PROGRAM/END
END_IF/
ELSE_IF/DIFFERENCE < 0
COMMENT/OPER,NO,FULL SCREEN=NO,AUTO-CONTINUE=NO,
"DIFFERENCE IS :" + DIFFERENCE + ", PLEASE NUDGE REAR OF VISE TO THE Y PLUS"
END_ELSEIF/
ELSE_IF/DIFFERENCE > 0
COMMENT/OPER,NO,FULL SCREEN=NO,AUTO-CONTINUE=NO,
"DIFFERENCE IS :" + DIFFERENCE + ", PLEASE NUDGE REAR OF VISE TO THE Y MINUS"
END_ELSEIF/
GOTO/STARTLOOP