The Vernier Caliper

The Caliper. The name itself is generic. But to define it, it is a device used to measure the distance between to symmetrically opposing sides. A caliper can be as simple as a compass with inward or outward-facing points. The tips of the caliper are adjusted to fit across the points to be measured, the caliper is then removed and the distance read by measuring between the tips with a measuring tool, such as a ruler.

They are used in many fields such as metalworking, mechanical engineering, gunsmithing, handloading, woodworking, woodturning and in medicine.

There are many types of Calipers but obviously in relation to this blog, we'll mention a particular type of caliper namely: The Vernier Caliper.

Vernier Calipers are usually found in machine shops or any other area which requires to measure its fabricated dimensions. Without this device, machine shops will be having a hard time for accurate measurement.

Vernier calipers can measure internal dimensions (using the uppermost jaws in the picture at right), external dimensions using the pictured lower jaws, and depending on the manufacturer, depth measurements by the use of a probe that is attached to the movable head and slides along the centre of the body. This probe is slender and can get into deep grooves that may prove difficult for other measuring tools.

The vernier scales may include both metric and inch measurements on the upper and lower part of the scale.

Vernier calipers commonly used in industry provide a precision to a hundredth of a millimetre (10 micrometres), or one thousandth of an inch.

A more precise instrument used for the same purpose is the micrometer.



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Mills CNC claims big market share for big machines

Mills CNC claims over 50 per cent of the UK's large lathe market (chuck size 12" and over), 50 per cent of the large VTL (Vertical Turning Lathe) market and significant market share in the large horizontal machining centre and horizontal borer markets.

The company is the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Doosan machine tools, and highlights that the portfolio has recently been broadened with the launch of a new range of 5-face, double-column machining centres, DCM, within which there are eight different sized.

The new DCM machines, with up to 10, 250 by 4,200 by 700, by 1,100 mm in X, Y, Z and W, can parts up to 68,000 kg in weight.

Depending on the type of application, DCM machines can be specified with various ram spindle configurations (heavy-duty cutting through to high-speed/high-torque options); different head attachments and table types.

"The Doosan big machine tool range is impressive – and the new DCM machines are no exception," underlines Nick Frampton, Mills CNC's managing director.

"In terms of breadth, depth, technical specification, and all-round performance and price – big Doosan machines are the number one choice for precision manufacturers in the oil and gas, power generation and other sectors where the machining of large components is at a premium."



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K+K moves to expand machining business

Bletchley-based subcontractor K+K Specialised Engineering has moved to new premises to accommodate extra XYZ CNC machine tools and allow for future growth.

Prototype electronics box milled from solid aluminium block by K+K Specialised Engineering

The company currently machines precision components for the automotive development, motorsport, microwave communications and mechanical handling industries, as well as making jigs and fixtures for UK-based metrology companies.

Commenting on the move K+K director Keith Pain explains: “We would not have done this if it did not make sound economic sense. Our problem, if you can call it that, was that we had become the favoured supplier to several businesses that had also flourished by being responsive to their customers. We were regularly being asked to produce small batches of components instead of just one-offs in extremely short timescales.”

The fact that, typically, there is a very high percentage of metal removal from the raw material is key to the solution that has been adopted by K+K.

“In this situation additional machining centres are able to increase the output without any increase in the workforce,” says Keith Pain.

A significant part of K+K’s recent investment involves two new compact vertical machining centres supplied by XYZ Machine Tools Ltd. These are installed alongside an identical XYZ Mini Mill 560 that K+K has operated for several years. During urgent batch production all three are typically machining similar components, with the cycles phased so that the operator can tend each machine in turn as required. In fact, there is often spare time during which the operator can progress jobs on one of the other, slightly less automated, mills.

The choice of two more XYZ Mini Mill 560s was not only because of the good value that made the economics viable but also the experience gained with the existing machining centre. “Our machine tools have progressed according to the needs of the work and drafting technology,” says Keith Pain. “When we started nearly all drawings were manual and most jobs were one-offs, so manual machines with digital readouts were all that was really necessary, and indeed all we could afford.

"When economic CNC machining arrived we were aware of the benefits, particularly in the case of small batch work, although we investigated several options before investing in a basic XYZ ProtoTRAK-equipped CNC/manual lathe and then a ProtoTRAK CNC/manual mill."

With ever more information arriving as CAD models, and the increase in repeat components, the Mini Mill 560 was the logical next step.

Ideally suited to the type of work and batch sizes typically undertaken by K+K, the concept behind the XYZ Mini Mill 560 is a compact VMC configuration capable of machining the widest possible range of components within the smallest possible machine footprint. A 560 mm (X) by 400 mm (Y) by 500 mm (Z) working envelope is contained within a 2000 mm (width) by 2060 mm (depth) footprint.

www.xyzmachinetools.com

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Snap-On Tools

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Mission

Snap-on's mission is to delight our customers - professional tool and equipment users worldwide - by creating innovative, productivity-enhancing products, services and solutions.


To purchase Snap-On Tools, please go to Cebu Belmont, Inc. Mandaue Main Branch or at Cebu Belmont Depot in Cebu City.

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