The Complete Guide to Mitutoyo Dial Gauges
The dial indicator, also known as a dial gauge or dial comparator, has been used to check and measure the flatness of surfaces since the 1930s. It is an analog measuring device that has an upper spindle and a lower spindle. The bottom spindle holds a needle which is moved up and down by the upper spindle. When the top spindle moves up and down it is converted to reading based on the degrees of rotation of the needle. The reading is displayed on the scale inside the device. In addition to measuring flatness, it can be used to measure run out, roundness, and finish diameter.
The dial gauge or dial indicator can measure up to 0.01 mm or 0.001 inches. This device is compact and works with both imperial and metric measurements. This device is commonly used by people in machining industries like the aerospace industry, automotive industry, electrical manufacturers, medical industry, etc. Also, many hobbyists use this tool in their projects which require precision measurement.
A dial gauge doesn't have the same complex structure as a digital caliper. It's mainly composed of a case, a locking scale, and a pointer needle, in addition to the essential parts like the stem, spindle, point of contact, and so on. So what exactly is a dial gauge?
A dial indicator is an instrument that measures the distance between two points based on the linear movement of the spindle about the dial indicator. The main function of this device is to measure roughness and run-out in workpieces and tooling. The instrument is generally used as an alternative to surface plates or as an initial or final check on machine tools.
Dial gauges are placed directly onto the surface of workpieces and tooling for measuring purposes. For this reason, it must be steady and secure when contacting the object being measured. We call this part of it "the point of contact". The most common types are center point contact, tangential point contact, and parallel point contact type. Each one has its characteristics.
Different types of Dial test indicators:
1. Balanced Reading Dial Indicator:
Dial indicators have been used to make precise measurements. In the past, tolerances in machining were so great that dial indicators were commonly used to orient parts during assembly. They are still used for this purpose today.
The earliest dial indicators displayed their readings on a dial face with a long needle moving over a calibrated scale. Nowadays, the display is typically digital and may be on an LCD or LED screen.
Makers of dial indicators must decide how to divide the scale into two regions: positive numbers and negative numbers. It's common to see two-sided dials with the numbers calibrated from zero on both sides: positive numbers running from zero on the right side of the scale and negative numbers running from zero on the left side of the scale.
2. Continuous Dial Indicator:
Continuous Dial Indicators are a type of dial indicator. They are usually used for long and thin parts like drill bits, or for parts that are so wide that you have to move them around to read their measurements.
The numbers on these types of indicators run clockwise, without stopping and without any separators. This can be kind of confusing if you are not used to seeing it! The most important thing is to remember that the number rotates continuously and that there is no starting point or zero on these kinds of indicators.
3. Lever Dial Indicator:
The advantage of the lever dial indicator is that it is compact and easy to use. The main component of this type is a lever and two pins, which move in a circular motion. The stylus can be adjusted to point in any direction by turning the lever.
The plunger type, on the other hand, is characterized by its plunger and scale mechanism. It uses an adjustable scale to measure the distance between two points.
- Advantages of Dial Gauge:
Dial gauges are used to measure the thickness or diameter of a round object. The gauge consists of a round dial with a needle on it and a pointer moving around the dial. As the gauge is passed over the object, the needle attaches itself to the surface of the object and moves along with it while the pointer rotates around, indicating the thickness of the object on which it is being used.
Dial gauges are an easy method of measuring the thickness of objects because they are simply passed over an object without getting in contact with its surface. This makes them easy to use in mass production and no special training is required to use them. The dial gauge can be used on smaller objects as well as bigger ones because they allow minute variations to be detected.
The dial gauge can easily measure tapers, which cannot be done with other instruments like calipers or micrometers. These gauges are also used for measuring knurls and tapers on round surfaces like those found on machine parts.
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