Air Gaging George Schuetz 2017 Technical Brief Air Gaging George Schuetz 2017

Air Gaging from Mahr Federal Objectives To understand why air gaging is a valuable Dimensional Measurement Solution To learn about the Air Gaging products available To learn some of the applications for Air Gaging To learn some of the changes implemented at Mahr Federal to improve product line

Why Air Gaging? Air Gaging is a measuring system that Allows for fast measurement Self aligning Provides high resolution Performance to 0.1um/5u” Easy to use Little operator skill involved Is non-contact Won’t mar the part Self-Cleaning Air blows away surface contamination

When to use Air Gaging? Have a tight Tolerance condition <± 40um / ± 0.0015” Know when a part is good or bad Know the variation from the nominal Have a high volume of parts to measure Measure quickly with min. operator influence Or, have a geometric measurement – maybe not of high volume but where alternative measurements (i.e. CMM’s) are too time consuming Taper.Straightness/Center Distance Environment is dirty

Is Air Gaging Difficult to Apply? No – applying air gaging is often no different than selecting an adjustable bore gage, fixed mechanical plug gage, or a snap gage You need to know the same information Size Tolerance Where the measurement is to be made What is the surface finish* But watch out!

Principles of Air Gaging Just like a garden hose – as the distance D gets smaller and restricts the water flow – pressure builds up in the hose. What can you say about the flow of the water as the distance is changed? Water and air act very similar! D P

What’s Happening with Flow and Pressure + + Flow Pressure 0 Distance + 0 Distance + Flow increases as the distance between the nozzle and restriction increases Pressure increases as the distance between the nozzle and restriction decreases

Types of Air Gage Systems Fixed Magnification – Single Master Lower master costs Faster to set up Accuracy built into gage Can use Master Restrictors to qualify system Dirt and oil in air system can change calibration Must match display and tooling Adjustable Magnification – Two Masters More master cost Harder to set up One amplifier can work with a variety of tooling Can verify its own calibration Can compensate for worn tooling or dirty system

Errors at extremes of tolerance Errors at center of tolerance The type of air gage selected – determines where the error may be Single Master System Dual Master System Errors at extremes of tolerance Errors at center of tolerance

Universal Dimensionair Fixed Magnification System Easiest to use True Analog Display Single or Multiple display units – taper and diameter Adjustable – two master system Compatible with most competitive tooling

Column Gages 1840 Column 1841 Signal Sharing Column Single air input Single / Dual Mastering Full feature column – dynamics, outputs, classification, multi- color LCD 1841 Signal Sharing Column Up to 4 air inputs Single / Dual Mastering Full feature column – signal sharing for math equations, dynamics, outputs, classification, multi-color LCD

uDimensionair Portable or bench mounted air gage display Adds portability to air gaging Interchangeable parts make it configurable for many applications Uses standard Mahr Federal single master tooling Magnifications 60, 50, 20 Operates like a uMaxum

Bench Amplifiers for Air 832 Fixed Magnification Full feature amp Single or Dual input C1208 Full feature amp Single or Dual mastering Single input PC programmable C1245 Single or dual input Single or dual mastering Up to three separate display readings Full feature with analog meter

What makes up an Air Plug? Hardened Steel cylinder with air passages and opposed jets Air passes through the probe then through the jets Proximity of part to jet throttles air flow resulting in pressure changes An air gage instrument measures pressure and displays part size

Why is Surface Finish Important? What is the true size?

Types of Plugs Body Styles – Jet locations Thru hole – 12.5mm/0.5” Blind – 4mm/0.156” Super Blind 2.4mm/0.094” Relieved/Non-relieved Continuous body length Stop Collars Specific depth or short land

Types of Plugs Two Jet Most common for ID/OD, check for form errors – diameter variation, bell mouth, taper, barrel shape

Types of Plugs Three Jet Four Jet * Six Jet * For checking diameter variation on parts with triangular form error Used with standard 2-jet system Four Jet * For average diameter reading – requires four jet Dimensionair Six Jet * Average readings of three diameters – tends to find average diameter of two or three point out of round conditions *Requires proper Air Display System

Measuring OD’s Air Rings are available in 2 or 3 jet configurations Snaps are available in single or multiple circuit configurations

Air Gaging Applications No other method can get so many measuring points in a such a small area

Process Improvements @ Mahr Federal New Material for Standard Plugs Create two standard plug options HCC (High Chrome Content Stainless Steel) Chromed HCC Benefits of the HCC line Reduces manufacturing steps – shorter delivery Reductions can be passed on to the customer – lower price Harder Material Previous 45 – 48 Rockwell HCC is 68 Rockwell Same life and appearance Subjected new material to 500K lifecycle and salt bath test Same performance as Chromed plug Lower pricing and faster delivery!