Three-dimensional measurement: the accuracy and precision of the Reflex Microscope.

The Reflex Microscope is an optical plotter which is linked directly to a microcomputer and allows direct three-dimensional measurements of irregular shaped objects up to 100 mm maximum dimension. This study shows that it is possible to generate reproducible results with an operator measurement error of less than 0.15 mm for linear distances. The Reflex Microscope tends to undermeasure by 0.28% or by up to 0.14 mm per 50 mm. There was no detectable difference in accuracy between the three planes X, Y and Z. In planes X and Y the two-dimensional accuracy at high magnification of a 1.000 mm scale was 1.004 mm in X and 1.008 mm in Y planes.