Patent ID: 7591077

Claim:
A coordinate measuring machine to determine the coordinates of a number of points on a surface of a measured object, comprising: separately manufactured and individually calibrated units ( 1 , 16 ; 2 ; 7 , 17 ), the units comprising: a support beam ( 1 ; 16 ); a measurement trolley ( 2 ); at least one measurement head ( 7 ; 17 ); and a support table ( 10 ; 15 ) configured to support a test object for which the coordinates are to be determined, wherein the support beam ( 1 ; 16 ) supports the at least one measurement head ( 7 ; 17 ) over a surface of the support table ( 10 ; 15 ), the support beam ( 1 ; 16 ) supports the measurement trolley ( 2 ) such that the measurement trolley ( 2 ) can be displaced along the support beam, and the measurement trolley ( 2 ) supports the at least one measurement head ( 7 ; 17 ), and wherein the measurement trolley ( 2 ) comprises both calibrated mechanical ( 6 , 12 ) and calibrated electrical ( 13 ) attachment points for the at least one measuring head ( 7 ; 17 ) and the support beam ( 1 ; 16 ), where the mechanical attachment points are configured such that no geometric deformation can take place when the units are joined together such that the units can be joined together to the coordinate measuring machine.