Tactile coordinate metrology has become a key technology to inspect 3D geometries in ranges from sub-micrometers up to meter sizes with high accuracy. With this purpose, workpiece surfaces are probed point by point in a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) using a probing system or probe. Micro-measurements are performed in special micro-CMMs with microprobes to allow the use of smaller probing elements, resulting in critical interactions with the workpiece. However, such devices are still only accessible to a few users. Based on earlier investigations on membrane-based microprobes, a novel 3D microprobe design was developed to allow micro-measurements in conventional CMMs. Composed of three micro-fabricated measuring cells forming an isotropic serial kinematics, this microprobe offers a compact solution with an outer dimension of Ø 11 mm. The parallelogram structure made of thin silicon hinges of the measuring cell allows large deflections of up to 600 µm in all three directions and low probing forces weiterlesen