最早的三坐标测量机（CMM）是精密机床。CMM采用了自己的身份。从20世纪70年代初开始，CMMS开始使用触控式探头。到目前为止，几乎所有的坐标测量机都在继续专门使用这种形式的探测。为了让他们的机器更快地收集更多的数据，它们变得更轻，并且具有计算机补偿的准确性。我们的测试数据表明，如果不重新思考客户的设计，不适应不同的数据采集方法，CMMS将无法满足未来客户的需求。

THE FIRST COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINES (CMM) WERE REFINED MACHINE TOOLS. A POINT CAME WHEN CMMS ASSUMED THEIR OWN IDENTITY. STARTING IN THE EARLY 1970S, CMMS BEGAN UTILIZING TOUCH-TRIGGER PROBES. VIRTUALLY ALL CMMS HAVE CONTINUED TO USE THIS FORM OF PROBING EXCLUSIVELY UP TO THE PRESENT DAY. FOR THEIR MACHINES TO COLLECT MORE DATA MORE QUICKLY, THEY WERE MADE LIGHTER, WITH COMPUTER-COMPENSATED ACCURACY. OUR TEST DATA SHOWS THAT CMMS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SATISFY THE REQUIREMENTS OF CUSTOMERS IN THE FUTURE WITHOUT RETHINKING THEIR DESIGNS, AND WITHOUT ADAPTING TO DIFFERENT METHODS OF DATA-TAKING.