George Schuetz Director of Precision Gages

1 Jan 2006

Nine Enemies Of Precision Gaging

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

1 Nov 2005

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.

Basics 2 Oct 2005

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.

2 Sep 2005

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.

2 Aug 2005

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.

2 Jul 2005

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.

8 Jun 2005

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.

2 May 2005

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.

3 Apr 2005

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.

2 Mar 2005

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.

5 Feb 2005

Air Rings And Air Forks

Air gaging brings advantages to the manufacturing process, especially on the shop floor. In addition to speed, ease of use and the ability to automatically clean part surfaces before measuring, air gages can also measure to tighter tolerances than mechanical gages.

Basics 3 Jan 2005

The Foundation Of Dimensional Measurement

When getting down to the basics with dimensional measurement, nothing is more basic than that big rock on the shop floor. Actually, the use of rock for the foundation of measurement is relatively new.