Precision Alignment Services
Each test range contains complex electromechanical positioners. Some employ a large reflector in the compact range configuration. These components and the device under test introduce one or more local coordinate systems into the range. Each component has an actual and design coordinate system. All of these mechanical and electromagnetic coordinate systems chain together to form the range’s overall measurement coordinate system.
Productive use of any range comes only with accurate knowledge of the relationship between the various coordinate systems. Understanding these relationships ensure a suitable alignment of the chain of actual coordinate systems for accurate pattern measurements.
Deviation between actual and design coordinate systems or surface geometry can increase over the range equipment’s life-cycle and can cause an out-of-specification condition. Historically, characterization and control of this deviation have been performed for each range component using standard manual metrological devices, which have proven to be laborious, time consuming and operator error-prone measurement tools.
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Features
- Various services to align range axes for compact ranges, reflectors and radomes
- Determine center of rotation of a positioner axis
- Determine the normal axis to a plane of rotation
- Characterize and correct for positioner axis alignment accuracy
- Establish a permanent coordinate system to measure repeatability and drift of surfaces, axes and coordinate systems
- Verify that your range can perform higher-frequency measurements that are under consideration
- Characterize reflector surface accuracy
- Comply with government range performance specifications
