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Gauges & Special-Purpose Machines

Inspection gauges, go/no-go gauges, checking fixtures and special-purpose machines built to your quality-control requirements.

A gauge has to be more accurate than the thing it measures, or it is just a second opinion. We build inspection gauges and checking fixtures sized against your drawing tolerance, with gauge tolerance taken as a proportion of the part tolerance.

We also build special-purpose machines where a standard machine cannot do the operation economically — single-purpose assembly, pressing, drilling or checking stations designed around one component.

What we build

Tooling we make

  • Plug gauges — go/no-go, plain and threaded
  • Ring and snap gauges
  • Depth, height and position checking gauges
  • Receiver and profile gauges for formed components
  • Functional checking fixtures for assemblies
  • Special-purpose machines for pressing, drilling, assembly and checking

Specification

How it is built

Gauge membersOHNS or EN31, hardened and lapped
Gauge toleranceTaken as a proportion of the component tolerance
Wear allowanceApplied on go members per the gauging standard used
Handles and bodiesKnurled, marked with size and go / no-go
MarkingPermanently etched with nominal size and tolerance
SPM structureFabricated and stress-relieved, ground mounting faces

Process

From your drawing to a working tool

  1. Tolerance studyWe work back from your part tolerance to a gauge tolerance and wear allowance.
  2. Gauge designType, material and marking scheme, confirmed with you.
  3. ManufactureHardened, ground and lapped to size.
  4. VerificationChecked before despatch and supplied with recorded sizes.
  5. SPM buildFor machines: concept, design approval, fabrication, assembly and trial.

Questions

Common questions

How accurate does a gauge need to be?

Gauge tolerance is taken as a fraction of the component tolerance so that gauge error does not consume your working tolerance. We calculate it from your drawing and confirm the figure with you before manufacture.

Do you supply calibration certificates?

Gauges are supplied with recorded actual sizes as manufactured. For traceable third-party calibration certification, tell us at enquiry so it can be arranged as part of the order.

What is an SPM and when is one worth building?

A special-purpose machine does one job for one component. It is worth building when a standard machine is either too slow, too manual or too imprecise for the volume you are running — typically where an operation is repeated thousands of times and consistency matters more than flexibility.

More from the tool room

Other capabilities

Send a drawing. Get an engineering view in 24 hours.

A real engineer reads it — not an autoresponder. We will tell you whether the tool can be built as drawn, and what we would change to bring the cost down.