George Schuetz

George Schuetz Director of Precision Gages

A Primer On Dial Indicators

Also known as dial gages, clocks, comparators or just indicators, dial indicators are widely used as basic gages for measuring linear dimensions. This device is useless by itself; it needs to be attached to a fixed base or a stand so that the tip of the spindle is at a specific height against either a master or reference part.

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Size May Matter, But Form Counts Too

Cylindrical parts range from beer cans to bearings to bullets. Therefore, measuring cylindricity has considerable value for manufacturers.

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Nine Enemies Of Precision Gaging

In some plants, metal parts are made accurate to 0. 01 inch.

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Fully Utilize Your Form Measuring System: Part II

In last month's column, we looked at some of the setup and analysis issues that can influence the results of your form measurement, including the way the parts are staged; the influence of the stylus tip; using the wrong filter; confusion about the look of the graph; measuring the wrong parameter; and the influence of poor part tilt/centering. These are some of the pitfalls that can rob accuracy from your measurement, but there are others that also need to be addressed.

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Basics

Get The Most Out Of Your Measuring System

With the implementation of touchscreen operation, canned measurement routines and automatic ranging, form measuring machines have become nearly foolproof and have successfully migrated from the lab to the shop floor. Still, the form machine is only as good as its setup, and without due attention to the basics, there are many pitfalls that can make even the most basic measurement useless.

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Repeatable Expectations For GR&R

It seems axiomatic that the more precise we try to be, the less certain we become. In today's manufacturing world, nothing is flat, round, smooth or exactly the same length.

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Setting Adjustable Bore Gages

Adjustable bore gages are comparative instruments. This means that the readout, whether it be a dial, digital indicator or other type of electronic readout, will show the amount and direction of variation in the test bore from nominal size.

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Hardness Testing And Surface Variation

Hardness measurement is a topic that has not been addressed in this column before. However, when dimensional measurements can affect hardness results, it's time to focus on the issue.

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Speeding And Gaging Don't Mix

Manufacturing is under constant pressure to get more productivity out of its process. Machine tool speeds, feed rates and part positioning all keep getting faster, yielding more parts in less time.

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The Gaging Environment

The environment can often largely contribute to measurement errors. Conversely, once the environment is under control, strides can be made to improve the overall measurement process.

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TIR Versus Concentricity For Coaxiality

One of my favorite customers was having a bad day. "Those CMM operators are disputing my gage results," Sue said.

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Indicator Troubleshooting And Repair

Repairing dial indicators is a task usually assigned to a trained gage technician. Because the indicator amplifies the actual gage displacement to make it a readable value, it is an essential component.

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