Full Guide of What are the Different Types of Calipers 2024?

5/5 - (2 votes)

The caliper is a must-have machinist tool especially for engineers and woodworkers because it gives very precise readings. It has become so popular that it has a wide range of uses in sectors like medicine, science, mechanical engineering, woodworking metalworking to forestry.

Amazingly, calipers have a deep and varied history. The first known calipers date back to Greece in the sixth century B.C. A second caliper dates back to the Xin Dynasty of China, which began in 9 AD.

Since its invention in 1851, the modern caliper has measured in thousandths of an inch. Every machinist could afford it because of how inexpensive it was.

What are the Different Types of Caliper
What are the Different Types of Calipers?

6 Major Types of Calipers in 2024

Caliper has become so popular that these small tools come in more varieties than you may think. There are different types of calipers available in the market depending on the precision measurement job you are trying to accomplish. In this article, we will break down the different types of calipers briefly.

There are 6 types of calipers available in the market. We’ll discuss the most common and known calipers in this section one by one.

1. Digital or Electronic Caliper

We will start with the latest one which is digital. It’s a modern caliper where you will see the result on an LCD display. They have rulers on the front that can be read in centimeters, millimeters, or inches, but nobody ever uses them because the numbers are so small.

A microprocessor housed in the head is responsible for calculating the difference in capacitance. It next converted it into a reading of some kind of measurement and eventually displayed it on an LCD screen. It is very much for reading.

One of the many user-friendly features of these instruments is the ability to quickly switch between common measuring systems, such as inches and millimeters. In addition, the zero setting options allow the user to reset the reading to zero at any distance or remove the zero inaccuracy.

Digital calipers can take highly accurate measurements (to 0.0005 inches) of an object’s inside diameter, outside diameter, and depth. The tool has inner and outside measuring jaws and a depth bar, comparable to a Vernier caliper. Due to advancements in technology, the cost is relatively high.

2. Vernier Caliper

Vernier caliper is similar to the model but there is a difference in their building. Vernier calipers don’t have an LCD display like digital ones, but they do have twin scales (one on top and one on the bottom) that display both imperial and metric measurements and a movable graduated scale that allows for precise measurements down to the fractional level.

This caliper model is able to measure depth in addition to the standard radial and axial measurements. Compared to standard scales, which only read down to 0.1mm, this one can provide precise readings to 0.01mm.

3. Dial Caliper

Dial calipers also become a convenient tool for mechanists who do have a main scale like in Vernier calipers, but the movable scale is in the form of a dial.

The dial’s pointer shows the reading down to the hundredths of a millimeter, making it easier to operate than it might be otherwise. The primary scale gives a whole-number decimal reading, and when used in conjunction with the dial, it gives a reading accurate to within 0.001.

This particular caliper is equipped with a depth bar, as well as inner and outer jaws so that it can measure the depth, as well as the inner and outside lengths of things.

4. Jenny Caliper

This gadget, which is known as an odd leg or a hermaphrodite caliper and is quite similar to a divider, is typically utilized to scribe a line at a certain distance from the edge of a workpiece.

This is because the pointed end can be affixed to a fixed surface, and the other end can be used to determine how far away a given side or piece of an object is.

This caliper doesn’t have any kind of built-in scale. One must then transfer the distance to a ruler in order to obtain an accurate measurement.

5. Spring Joint Caliper

The amount of space that exists between the spring joint caliper’s legs can be adjusted by turning the screw and the nut. They are versatile and can be used to measure either the inside or the outside of a structure.

Each and every spring caliper shares a functional design that is comprised of two legs/jaws, a spring that draws them closer to each other, and an adjustable screw/nut. This design is what allows the calipers to perform their intended function.

If we want to take measures, we have to turn the screw till the jaws touch the object’s exterior or interior, or the spots on the flat surface. The C spring at the top maintains the tension while the screw holds the legs in place.

Keeping them in a place like this during a measurement ensures that your results will be consistent with those obtained with a ruler.

There are 3 types of spring calipers. They are:

  • An inside caliper. It came equipped with jaws that faced outward in order to take measurements inside.
  • An outside caliper. It comes with jaws that face the inside for capturing measurements of the outside.
  • A divider caliper. On a level surface, it measures the distance between two points.

According to a number of caliper specialists, this caliper is just somewhat superior to a jenny caliper.

6. Micrometer

There are several varieties of micrometers, measuring everything from the inside to the outside to the depth to the inch and even to the metric system, with distances that are often measured to within 1/1000 mm.

When it’s time to measure, simply twist the thimble’s knob to expose the measuring section of the barrel. This barrel scale displays its reading in whole numbers, while the thimble scale displays its reading as a decimal value with two decimal places of accuracy.

Conclusion of Different Types of Calipers in 2024

Calipers are specialist measuring instruments used when a ruler, tape measure, or other common measuring devices cannot be used to precisely estimate an object’s dimensions. This depth information is in addition to the interior and exterior measurements. For precise measurements, calipers are important to the work of carpenters and engineers.

Ensure that you select the correct caliper for your working needs. If you have any kind of queries about the caliper don’t hesitate to ask. Our caliper experts are there to help you. Thank you and have a good day.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calipers

Photo of author

Calvin Cameron

Hello, I'm Calvin Cameron. I'm a metalworking specialist for more than a decade. As a metalworker, I've been working in various areas like automotive plants, jewelry shops, and shipyards. I'm experienced with a lot of machines, tools, and materials. This is my loving area where I can talk and share about tools, measurement, and provide accurate data. Hope you will find some really good things from my research and studies. Enjoy reading.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.