Measurement of surface geometry is an essential activity in engineering, which is commonly performed by tracing the surface of interest with a mechanical or an optical probe. This is generally performed ex-situ in laboratories designed for metrology. However, inline measurement represents an opportunity to unlock significant efficiency gains throughout manufacturing. Here, a new approach is proposed for in-situ measurement of surface topography using an electrolyte jet as a scanning probe within a precision electrochemical jet machine tool. The electrical resistance of a cylindrical jet impinging on a metal surface is a direct measure of the distance between the surface and the electrified nozzle, allowing profiling of surface shape. This enables integrated on-machine measurement in the electrochemical jet apparatus with tuneable sensitivity and vertical resolution, achieving accuracy of 4.4% with the calibration proposed here. The developed measurement system provides an accurate and low-cost surface imaging approach that can be easily integrated with industrial manufacturing processes.

表面几何形状的测量是工程中的一项基本活动，通常通过使用机械或光学探头跟踪感兴趣的表面来执行。这通常是在为计量设计的实验室中进行的。然而，在线测量代表了在整个制造过程中释放显着效率提升的机会。在这里，提出了一种使用电解质射流作为精密电化学喷射机床内的扫描探针原位测量表面形貌的新方法。撞击在金属表面上的圆柱形射流的电阻是表面与带电喷嘴之间距离的直接测量值，可以对表面形状进行轮廓分析。这使得电化学喷射设备中的集成在机测量具有可调节的灵敏度和垂直分辨率，通过此处提出的校准实现了 4.4% 的准确度。开发的测量系统提供了一种准确且低成本的表面成像方法，可以轻松地与工业制造过程集成。