George Schuetz Director of Precision Gages

Measurement 1 Dec 2002

Sliced Bread—And The Limits Of Air Gaging

"Air gaging is the greatest thing since sliced bread," a friend once said. And he was right—air gaging is good.

Measurement 1 Nov 2002

Surface Texture From Ra to Rz

The irregularity of a machined surface is the result of the machining process, including the choice of tool; feed and speed of the tool; machine geometry; and environmental conditions. This irregularity consists of high and low spots machined into a surface by the tool bit or a grinding wheel.

Inspection and Measurement 2 Oct 2002

DFGT - Double Flank Gear Testing

Functional gear testing, also known as total radial composite deviation, is a method of looking at the total effect of gear errors. This test method simulates the conditions under which a set of gears is likely to operate as a result of the gears meshing together.

Inspection and Measurement 5 Sep 2002

The Three Ds Of Straightness Plugs

We have touched on different applications of air gaging: size, match gaging and form applications such as taper. In this column, we'll discuss air straightness plugs.

Measurement 1 Jul 2002

Stacking Up For Big IDs

For those medium and large parts with inside diameters greater than 4 inches, an inside micrometer is often used as the inspection tool of choice. This is especially true if the volume of parts is low and there is a large range of diameters to account for.

Inspection and Measurement 1 Jun 2002

The Dial Tells It All

Dial indicators—you've seen one, you've seen them all. They are all over the shop, and as you walk around, they all look the same to you.

Measurement 19 May 2002

Say Hello to Mr. Abbé, Mr. Hooke And Mr. Hertz

Whenever you use a handtool or precision gage, you should be aware of typical pitfalls that prevent good gage performance. These include measurement errors resulting from environmental conditions (dirt and temperature), loose and/or worn gage parts, and operator misuse.

Inspection and Measurement 2 Apr 2002

Feels Like A Go To Me

Once a QC manager came to me, confused and dissatisfied. He was spending money to buy quality masters, but his inspection process was not improving.

Measurement 1 Mar 2002

Working With Your Working Gage Blocks

The uses of working gage blocks are as varied as the number of gage blocks in a large set. The working blocks have an intermediate grade and are often used in the inspection or calibration lab, but they may also be found on the shop floor.

Inspection and Measurement 5 Feb 2002

Semi-Automatics—The In-Between Gages

The faucet has been opened a little, and you've just received a long-awaited contract to produce 10,000 large trunnion caps for a manufacturer of earth moving equipment. Despite the joy, you realize that you have a problem: The machines will be in place and ready to run the part shortly, but you haven't given much thought to the gaging.

Measurement 5 Jan 2002

The 'Issues' With Height Gages

Don't tell anyone, but there is something of a problem with height gages. The big issue that they have is what they measure: height.

Inspection and Measurement 1 Dec 2001

The Real Dirt About Gaging

I'm not sure that any of us in the metrology business are very close to godliness, but I do know that cleanliness is the first step to approaching accuracy in gaging. Probably every machinist is at least nominally aware that dirt can interfere with the ability to take accurate measurements.