Micrometer

Micrometer

Micrometer

For years engineers have depended on a tool known as the micrometer. The micrometer has been used in the fields of mechanical engineering and machining to determine tiny distances since the seventeenth century. The are various kinds of micrometer each intended for a specific purpose, these include the outside micrometer, the inside or internal micrometer plus the depth micrometer. The micrometer, also called the micrometer screw gauge, consists of calibrated screw but the exact type of this screw varies according to whether the device is an outside or internal micrometer or perhaps a depth micrometer.The outside micrometer, also referred to as the micrometer caliper, is used to measure a distance enclosed by the micrometer as the name suggests. The standard use of the outside micrometer is to measure items such as wires, shafts and blocks. The micrometer works when it’s placed round the object involved after which the screw is tightened. The outside micrometer and the depth micrometer both feature measurement markings on the screw, so that you can acquire accurate measurements.

The internal micrometer, as it’s name also suggests, is used to measure distances in which the micrometer itself fits. The most typical use of the device is measuring the diameter of holes. To use an internal micrometer the screw is put in the hole being measured and turned until the working parts have extended outwards and fit tightly up against the inside wall of the hole. The reading will be obtained from the precision scale that’s printed along the outside of the screw.

The depth micrometer can be used in measuring the depth of a hole from the surface that it originates from. This sort of micrometer comprises of the main body of the tool along with a metal shaft that extends and retracts, controlled by the screw. The body is put on the flat surface with the metal shaft positioned above the hole to be measured. The screw is then turned until the tip of the shaft fits tightly up against the bottom of the hole in question. The measurement scale on the screw provides an accurate measurement.

Micrometers are widespread and very useful in the field of engineering, allowing users to precisely gauge small distances. Internal micrometers along with other types of micrometer are often used when a conventional method such as using a tape measure would not produce the level of accuracy. It is the screw which is tightened that enables distances to be measured with such a degree of accuracy. When the screw mechanism is manufactured to a high standard then the micrometer will generate extremely accurate measurements.