03/02/2024, 15:43 Types Of Gauges In Metrology | Eley Metrology

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Types Of Gauges In Metrology

Precision engineering requires tight tolerance and high-quality machining, and that’s where
metrology comes in. Metrology, or the science of measurement, develops advanced automated
machines and AI modelling to analyse workpieces and maintain production, but it also improves
the basics to perfection. Engineers use straightforward, effective, wireless tools like gauges to
perform all manner of quality control. Learning about the different types of gauges in metrology
helps you understand their wide-ranging uses and benefits.

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What Are Gauges in Metrology?

Metrologists design gauges to determine the minimum and maximum acceptable tolerances of a
given dimension. Engineers then use these gauges to assess whether workpieces meet these
tolerances. They ask the simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question of acceptability to support practical quality
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control. Gauges in metrology provide a vital line of defence against inconsistency. This front-line
tool for engineers and manufacturers stands as a pillar of production excellence.

Ten Different Types of Gauges in Metrology

Gauges in metrology come in all shapes and sizes, with designs matching any and every workplace
dimension. Here’s a list of ten common designs and their purposes in the industry.

Ring Gauges
The ring gauge supports quality control in workshops with cylindrical equipment or products. It
also features no electronics and no moving parts. As the name suggests, ring gauges use a ring-
shaped or toroidal structure to measure the external diameter of cylindrical workpieces.
Workshops simply invest in ring gauges with internal diameters that match their desired
specifications, enabling efficient measurement and quality control.

Snap Gauges
Similar to ring gauges, snap gauges also measure diameters. However, their shape delivers
different applications. Snap gauges use a ‘C’ or ‘U’ shaped frame to measure diameter, with a gap
between their measurement section for inserting and moving a workpiece. This enables them to
measure specific features on larger equipment or measure diameters of products in frames or
other bulky structures that couldn’t be measured by a ring gauge.

Calliper Gauges
One of the most common types of gauge in metrology, you may recognise the calliper gauge from
school. Featuring a measurement shaft with two jaws at one end, the calliper gauge adjusts its
jaws to measure the diameters within. Different designs use dials, digital displays, or mechanical
units to determine the given diameter.

Wire Gauges
Wire gauges resemble a circular saw blade, except with holes of increasing diameters where a saw
blade’s teeth would be. Users compare these holes with wires they wish to measure, determining
the diameter relative to whichever hole it fits in. This supports precise measurements for electrical
wiring or the strings of musical instruments.
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Height Gauges
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baseplate, a
perpendicular column, and a measuring arm attached to a slider. Users adjust the arm via the
slider to determine the height of a given product relative to the baseplate. More advanced digital

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height gauges are also

available, which offer a
big step up in accuracy
as well as a host of
additional features.
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Plug Gauges
Another example of
straightforward and
practical gauges in
metrology, plug gauges
come in handy for
measuring internal
holes and cavities.
Resembling a dumbbell,
plug gauges feature a
central shaft with large
heads on either end.
The central shaft
features go/no go
readings to indicate the
minimum and maximum depths, akin to readings on a car’s fluid reservoirs. Users simply insert a
plug gauge and measure the depth against the readings.

Feeler Gauges or Thickness Gauges

Feeler gauges resemble a folding fan, featuring metal measurement blades attached at one end by
a hinge pin. Engineers use these gauges to measure the gaps between two components in a given
product. By finding the corresponding number of feeler gauge blades to measure a given gap, you
can effectively measure your products against their minimum and maximum tolerances. The
tolerances on gaps in equipment prove vitally important in any industry, as contact between
moving parts can cause dangerous malfunctions.

Radius Gauges
Radius gauges use a similar fan of measurement blades to feeler gauges, except they’re designed
to measure curves and radii in concave and convex shapes. Blades designed to measure convex
shapes feature dimples of different sizes, which users compare with their product to find the most
similar shape.your
We value For concave
privacy shapes, the radius gauge features blades with convex protrusions,
measuring radii in an inverse fashion.
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Screw Pitch Gauges

Screw pitch gauges support quality control for screws and other helically threaded equipment.
These gauges resemble feeler gauges, yet they feature two sets of fanned measuring tools, with
one pinned at each end of a central shaft. Each measuring blade in each fan features teeth which
mirror
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roots of a screw, so you can compare each one to a given screw to measure
its pitch.

Dial Gauges
Dial gauges use two main components to measure evenness on a surface plane: a dial and a
probe. Simply run the probe over a surface plate or other important plane, and the dial moves when
the probe detects cracks, bumps, pressure changes, or other inconsistencies.

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› What is Measurement Traceability and Why is it so Vital

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