George Schuetz Director of Precision Gages
Hand Tools Get Geared Up
Gears, while being a fundamental means of transferring motion and power and being simple in principle, are components with complex geometries that must be made with great precision to avoid premature component failure and high warranty costs. In recent years, tools and processes for measuring gears have come under great scrutiny by manufacturers, as well as reputable third parties such as NIST.
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Stylin' With Your Micrometer
Convenience is one reason the micrometer is often the tool of choice for length/diameter measurements. The basic micrometer provides direct size information quickly, has high resolution and is adaptable to many different measurement applications.
Read More3, 2, 1, Contact—Measuring Thickness
Thickness is one of the most frequently measured dimensions and also one that is easy to understand. So you might think that someone would come up with a one-style-fits-all measurement approach for just about every kind of thickness application.
Read MoreIt Don't Mean A Thing If It's Got That Spring-What To Do When Your Fixture Isn't As Fixed As You Thought
Believe it or not, one of the most overlooked problems in qualifying gages is unanticipated deflection of the fixture due to the force of the probe on the part. Who would have guessed? After all, fixtures are used to provide stability.
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What's Wrong With This Picture? On The Care And Feeding Of Master Rings And Other Metrology Artifacts
Quality assurance can only be as good as the measuring tools it relies on. It should be obvious that if you spend tens of thousands of dollars on a measuring machine, you need to protect this investment with routine maintenance and calibration.
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Deep Thinking About Depth Gages And Their Evolution
A depth gage is a very common hand tool used to inspect the depth of holes, slots, counterbores, recesses or the distance from one surface to another. They are especially common in the tool and die industry.
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Electrical Limit Switches: Not New, But Tried And True
There is a category of gages that have been around for 50 years; are very inexpensive compared to alternate measuring methods; and are fast, reliable, easy to set up and functional for manual or automatic operations. I'm referring to mechanical gages that incorporate electrical limit switches.
Read MoreBeyond The Height Gage And Surface Plate
What can take low-volume, precision inspection to the next level? For many years now, the method of choice for low-volume, general-purpose inspection has been surface plate work using test indicators and height gages. Recently, electronic height gages have made the layout inspection process a little more accurate.
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Standardize the Measurement Process
How many times have you heard assembly personnel complain that incoming parts are consistently out of spec or parts that were shipped good now measure bad? During the manufacturing cycle, many people will look at the part to determine whether it meets the specification. Typically, these could include the machinist producing the part, a QC person, an incoming inspector at the company using the part, and finally another inspector who may be responsible for evaluating the manufactured part’s performance within an assembly.
Read MoreStarting From Zero
Writing ’00 instead of ’99 reminds me of the importance of zeroing out the measuring instrument or gage before starting to make a measurement. Zeroing sets a reference point from which all subsequent measurements are made.
Read MoreMicrometers: Measuring Under The Influence
The biggest problem with micrometers, some of the most popular and versatile precision hand-held measuring tools on the shop floor, is that measurements are subject to variations from one operator to another. There are two types of influences that contribute to this variation: "feel," or inconsistent gaging force, and subjective factors.
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Dial Comparators Bridge The Resolution Gap
Although high resolutions approaching 20 microinches/0. 5 micrometer would normally be reserved for an electronic amplifier with high performance electronics, there may still be reasons to prefer a mechanical measurement tool.
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