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Tool Tips

Ideal Precision has over 30 years of experience in the repair and calibration of precision tools. We are always striving to provide up to date product information that we believe will help educate our customers on the proper use and maintenance of their precision tools.    Please visit our site for recommendations and facts regarding your precision tools.  If followed correctly these tips can insure that you are getting the best possible performance from your precision tool. Please see below for this month’s tool tip(s).

Many Perpendicular and Back Plunger Dial Indicators

In recent years we have noticed significant damage to perpendicular and back plunger dial indicators that could be avoided. The construction of many of these indicators includes a guide pin that slides along a slotted rail.  If an operator does not change the contact points properly they are subjecting their indicator to unnecessary damage.  Proper procedure would be to have the spindle of the indicator pressed fully into the gage when either tightening or loosening the contact point. The reason this procedure is recommended is that it puts the pressure and force on the rack versus the small guide pin that would either be damaged or broken. One golden rule to remember is to never use excessive force and never use Loctite on contact points. We hope this tip avoids unnecessary costs and damages.

Caliper gib screws

One of the problems we see with calipers on a regular basis are misadjusted gib screws.  It seems to happen more frequently  with the change of seasons and humidity.

Gibs screws are set by the manufacturer or a qualified repair technician to achieve the proper calibration.

Loosening the gib screws will allow the slider to move easier but it will change the parallelism of the jaws and  cause the calipers to go out of calibration.

A solution may be to simply clean the beam with alcohol.  If that doesn’t cure the problem try a few drops of oil to the beam gib area, especially when the humidity is dryer than normal.

If a caliper operator still feels the gage is to tight, do not force the slider. Excessive force can cause additional problems that are more expensive to repair.

Tips for sending in your tools to Ideal Precision

We have found that by following these simple steps you can be assured the quickest turn around time for your tools, along with keeping your costs at a minimum.

1) When shipping your tools it is important to properly pack your tools to insure there is not further damage done during shipment. Newspaper, bubble wrap, peanuts or other packing materials can prevent further damage to your tool and thereby minimize your cost of repair. A good rule to go by is to leave at least 2” of clearance between your tool and the sides of the box.

2) Please include a packing slip or purchase order that identifies all the tools in your shipment; include quantities, full descriptions, model #s, and serial #s or #s of traceablility.

3) Please include a contact name and phone # so we if we have any questions or so that we will know who to send information to.

4) Please also include any specific problems with the tool that you are having. Examples: bezel cracked, dropped, sticking, not repeating, and out of calibration or tolerance. Try to be as specific as possible. If your tool is out of tolerance let us know how far out it is.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us. These steps will help insure that you are receiving the quickest turn around time possible, along with keeping your costs at a minimum.

Tool Tip #1  Test Indicators
Contact Points of different lengths are not interchangeable on all test indicators.  Any change in length of contact points radically changes the magnification of the indicator. This is perhaps one of the most common mistakes we see when test indicators are sent in for repair. The specification in reference to the length of the contact point varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.  While one manufacturer may measure the length from the center of the contact ball to the end of the pivot, another manufacturer may measure from the center of the pivot to the center of the contact ball.  Please contact us to insure that you are using the correct contact point with your test indicator.

Attn:  Tool Operator
Contact points of different lengths are not interchangeable on all test indicators because any change in length of point radically changes magnification of the indicator. Be sure to replace or interchange only with points of the same length.

Tool Tip # 2 Cosine Error
In speaking with our customers we have also noticed that many individuals are having inaccurate readings as the result of cosine error.  Cosine error occurs when the placement of the contact point in relation to the work piece is at the wrong angle. Please see the below picture to insure you are getting an accurate measurement from your test indicator.