Accessibility of measured points to touch probes is crucial in planning dimensional inspection of mechanical parts by a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). This paper presents a method used to define the kind of touch probe needed to measure the various points of a mechanical part. The proposed method is based on the notion of visibility. The limits of the notion of visibility as it is usually defined for machining purposes are shown. A new definition of visibility is proposed, dedicated to measurement. A method allowing determination of the probe's characteristics (maximum length of the stylus, sufficient number of styli) is described.
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