Van Keuren Precision Products

Technical Information

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Introduction
Gage Wear
Roundness
Gage Modifications
Plug Gage
Additional Tips

Introduction


Introduction The American National Standards Institute defines a gage as "a device for determining whether or not one or more dimensions of a manufactured part are within specified limits." A plug gage is a cylinder designed to check the component tolerance of a hole in a product. The plug gage has been found to be highly accurate, economical and convenient for small hole inspection where a determination is made of compliance with designed limits.

GO and NOGO gaging with plug gages provides a complete check of the dimensions of a hole. If GO-NOGO gaging is used, there is no need to measure the size of a hole to be certain that it is within the design limits. The proper use of plug gages therefore eliminates the need for complex and expensive measuring equipment.

If a GO gage is used to verify the lower limit and a NOGO gage to verify the upper limit of a hole, inspection is precise, clean cut and extremely simple. Inspection with plug gages requires no training or experience in the interpretation of numerical readouts or results which are necessary if measuring instruments are used. By using plug gages an "inspector" has only to determine whether a gage is entering or not entering a hole.

With plug gages, accuracies are possible in the order of .0000005" under proper conditions of hole and gage quality, cleanliness, and temperature control, similar to conditions normally required for any precise inspection.

In addition to eliminating any complicated measuring instruments, no set-up time is required in using plug gages; thus a plug gage can be brought into use more quickly and economically with no loss of accuracy.

Finally a plug gage, having a fixed dimension, requires no set-up, cannot get out of calibration nor is it affected by cumulative error.

Plug gages should be used in a GO-NOGO combination. The purpose of the GO gage is to determine whether the hole has met the low limit of the specifications. If a hole is to small the GO gage will not enter. The larger NOGO gage checks the upper limit of the hole. If the hole is too large the NOGO gage will enter. When the GO gage enters and the NOGO gage is unable to enter the design specifications of the hole have been met.

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