A scanning-light method for inspection of tool cutting edge

In this paper, a scanning-light method is proposed to evaluate the form of the tool cutting edge in a wide range up to several millimeters. An optical system, which consists of a photo diode, a laser diode unit and an objective lens, was developed. A small laser spot generated by the objective lens scans across the tool cutting edge, while monitoring the intensity of the laser beam passed through the tool cutting edge. In the proposed method, variation of the detected intensity is converted into information of the measured tool form. Feasibility of the proposed method was confirmed by simulations and experiments.