All You Need to Know about Gages and Application in the Industry
From OD Micrometers to calipers, indicators to advance gages there are an array of standard equipment available for measuring different parts of machinery manufactured in industries. Conceptually the process of measuring may look simple however it is not as it seems.
The process of measuring different features of the parts needs a great level of skills, physical conditions considerations, precision etc. thus with all new level of measuring instrument available for users making the subject more complex for our understanding, it is better to know the basics on gages while you select the right handheld instrument for use.
Differentiating Between Gaging and Measuring
Often referred interchangeably with measuring, gaging differs by measuring process in many ways. While measuring is the direct reading process in which the inspection instrument consists of scale calibrated on the equipment (having units from zero to max capacity of the equipment). To measure the dimensions of the work piece, the job is directly compared with the scale and the operator counts the unit from zero and fractions unit above it later.
Whereas Gages are an indirect reading instrument where the measurement units do not lay on the scale, instead, a standard object or master on the instrument act as an alternative. In gages, scales are present somewhere outside of the equipment. Therefore, the operator of the instruments needs to evaluate the dimensions and alongside comparing the mastered dimension with offsite scale.
Type of Gages And Their Application In The Industry
Gages is a board term that encompasses the devices used for direct measurement or for displaying certain dimensional information. Depending on what they measure, they are broadly divided into various categories including bore gauge, center gauge, pressure gauge, profile Gage etc.
Unlike the advance electronics tools such as sensors, transducers, gages are direct measuring instrument used for determining the reading for physical quantity.
Here, pressure gauge displays or indicates direct readings of pressure on the instrument. Similarly, Dial indicator also known as dial test indicator is used to accurately measure and displays probe or small liner distance in the manufacturing tooling process, engineering workshops etc.
Regardless of that, limit gages and profile gages are the simplest instruments that do not display any reading at all. These devices only give “yes and no” answers to the question that whether the job falls in the desired parameter or not.
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