George Schuetz Director of Precision Gages

22 Jul 2009

Measuring Surface Finish On Large ODs

The irregularity of a machined surface is the result of the machining process, including the choice of tool, feed rate, speed of the tool, machine geometry and environmental conditions. This irregularity consists of high and low spots that are machined into a surface by the tool bit or a grinding wheel. These peaks and valleys can be measured and used to define the condition and, sometimes, the performance of the surface.

15 Jun 2009

Measuring Squareness With Air

The right angle is one of those things that man has created in his mind. In nature it happens only by chance. However, 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.

14 Apr 2009

The Point Of Error-Free Measurements

Test indicators are extremely useful and versatile test instruments. Spending a little time worrying about the details of the contact points will help improve the whole measurement process.

16 Mar 2009

Pushing Air Gaging Limits

Air gaging allows you to measure many jobs faster, more conveniently and more accurately than other gaging methods.

17 Feb 2009

The Long And Short On Depth Gages

Depth gages are among the simplest of indicator gages, typically consisting of a short-range indicating device mounted through a reference bar or plate. Though they may be simple, depth gages are used in thousands of critical applications.

15 Jan 2009

Getting The Right Rz

As the manufacturing of parts continues to become internationalized, it is not uncommon for different standards developed in various countries to become blended into new international standards. Once new international standards become available, the world is expected to embrace them and begin using them. However, this may not always be the case.

16 Dec 2008

Calibrating Threaded Plug Gages

Just like gage blocks provide the basis for dimensional measurement, threaded plug gages are the fundamental tools used to verify that an internal thread is correct. Different types of threads serve different purposes, so there are many different threaded plug gages. As with any reference standard, these threaded plug gages need to be inspected to ensure that they are within their original specification.

13 Nov 2008

The Essentials Of Gage Calibration

Establishing and maintaining a regular program of gage calibration is necessary not only to maintain quality, but also for customer requirements.

14 Oct 2008

The Case Of The Sticking Test Indicator

There are few worse feelings for a manufacturer than having a product returned because the customer determines it is defective. Not to say that things are always perfect, but the vast majority of manufactured products meet their design requirements. So when a large number of the same product is returned by one user, it tends to raise eyebrows.

29 Sep 2008

Production Part Staging For Surface Finish

In designing gages to make dimensional measurements in a production environment, speed and high precision are the names of the game. Thus accounts for the popularity of instruments such as snap gages for ODs and air plugs for IDs. They are designed to measure a single size, require virtually no operator involvement and provide precise results in some of the toughest conditions.

20 Aug 2008

Approximating Geometry Measurement

We have all run across cases in which matching parts that measure “okay” don’t seem to quite fit together. This often happens with ID and OD parts that tend to have very tight clearances, typically within a few 0.0001 inch.

26 Jul 2008

Getting The Most From Your Classics

If you are thinking of ways to economize these days, you may want to consider coaxing more performance out of your existing gages. Many of the gages being built today are refinements of gages built 50 years ago. They may have originally been designed for use with a 0.0001-inch indicator, but over the years it