Method for monitoring the machine geometry of a gear cutting machine and an apparatus with a gear cutting machine, a measuring device and a software module

A method for monitoring a machine geometry of at least one gear cutting machine, the method comprising the following steps:

• a) measuring a workpiece in a measuring device and determining measurement data therefrom, wherein the workpiece was previously machined in the machine on a basis of specification data;
• b) correlating the measurement data with the specification data and determining a deviation of a geometric setting of at least one axis of the machine;
• c) storing the deviation of the geometric setting;
• d) repeating steps a)-c) after machining further workpieces in the machine;
• e) performing a statistical evaluation of multiple of the stored deviations and determining a change in at least one reference dimension of the at least one axis of the machine based at least in part on at least one predefined condition and/or rule.

An apparatus comprising:

• at least one gear cutting machine;
• and
• a measuring device,
• wherein said apparatus further comprises, or is operatively connectable to, an analytic module to perform or initiate:
• a statistical long-term evaluation of geometric data of the machine determined on a basis of m measurements performed by the measuring device on workpieces previously processed by the machine;
• a statistical short-term evaluation of geometric data of the machine determined on a basis of n measurements performed by the measuring device on workpieces previously processed by the machine, wherein n <m;
• correlation of the statistical long-term evaluation with the statistical short-term evaluation and determination of a geometric change in at least one axis of the machine.