Over the years we have looked at using air gaging and back pressure to measure small bores, generally under 1 mm/0.040”. Air gaging can be an acceptable way of doing this, but it does not provide any form information; it only provides the flow area as related to the diameter. However, because these holes are…
Losing Accuracy, One Micron At A Time Most gages on the shop floor provide a specified level of accuracy in conditions for which they were designed. But in the production environment, where tight tolerances are a way of life, it’s critical to think about gaging requirements before putting instruments out there and possibly having…
The Precimar 130B-24 gage block comparator from Mahr Inc. is the preferred choice of many major calibration laboratories. It is specifically designed for comparative gage block measurements. The 130B-24 model measures the industry’s key dimensional standards with the ultimate in resolution and reproducibility. For more information about the Precimar 130B-24 Gage Block Comparator, CLICK…
You need a master for something you have to measure, so you reach for a set of gage blocks and begin creating the dimension. But how are you going about it? Some machinists, with experience using gage blocks, will begin creating the desired dimension by starting with the largest block first and grabbing blocks as…
Checking for Centralization and Balance Errors Air gaging is often referred to as a non-contact form of measurement. This is accurate, to the extent that there’s no metal-to-metal contact between a sensitive gage component and the workpiece. Nevertheless, air gage tooling—including air plugs for inside diameter measurements—does generally come in contact with the workpiece, and…
Air Gaging is the inspection tool that allows you to measure many jobs faster, more conveniently and more accurately than other gaging methods. In the measurement of all hole conditions, air gaging is unsurpassed for speed and accuracy. In checking any dimensional characteristic, air offers sufficient magnification and reliability to measure tolerances well beyond the…
The 3 D’s of Straightness Plugs We have touched on the many different applications of air gaging in a number of articles: size, match gaging, and form applications such as taper. In this column, we will discuss air straightness plugs and how they work. The typical out-of-straightness condition is seen as a “bow” form within…
Mahr’s Micromar 40 EWRi-L Digital Micrometer offers integrated wireless data transmission in addition to a quick drive spindle, where one turn of the thimble is now equal to 5 mm (0.2 in) of spindle travel. Moving to different sizes on a sample part is now 10-times faster than with a standard micrometer. Product features include:…
Measuring Squareness with Air The right angle is one of those things that man has created in his mind. In nature, it only happens by chance. But the importance of this concept—which results from the perpendicular intersection of lines or surfaces—applies to many things, including architecture, civil engineering, agriculture, and manufacturing. There are a number…
Documenting the Measuring Process Statistical quality control (SQC) has been in use since the 1930s, when it was performed with paper, pencil, and maybe a slide rule. As such, it was originally somewhat time consuming, and it required a fairly high level of care and understanding on the part of its practitioners. SQC got a…