Measurement

RSS

The simple shaft is one of the ubiquitous items in every mechanical system. Shafts contain a number of key functional elements, such as splines, tapers, grooves, threads, cams and gears, which all have associated critical dimensions to allow these mechanical systems to perform the function for which they were designed.

If you were to ask an assembler at a Tesla factory how they measure the diameter of a piston, the response could very well be “what’s a piston?” If the same question were asked, a traditional combustion engine assembler would likely exclaim “with calipers, of course!”

Optical measurement refers to noncontact measurement using various light sources. It usually requires at least one lens, a light source and a detector. 

As related to form metrology, a roundness measurement defines how closely the shape of a part approaches that of a perfect circle.