What are the advantages and disadvantages of various measurement methods?
There are many different methods used to measure rubber seals. Those measurement methods may be categorized as either Contact or Non-Contact. Contact Measurement – Examples of contact measurement methods include micrometers, calipers, go/no-go gauges, and measurement pins (pin gages). These methods all suffer from the same disadvantage. Any time you touch a piece of rubber with a gauge, you deflect it. The amount of deflection varies by rubber hardness and operator feel and experience. Therefore, operator-to-operator variability is prevalent with contact measurement methods. The main advantage of contact measurement methods is speed. Contact measurement methods are best suited for measuring large sample sizes associated with production and receiving inspection. Non-Contact Measurement – Examples of non-contact measurement methods include microscopes, optical comparators, and video coordinate measuring machines. Non-contact measurement removes the variability associated with rubber hard
