AIR PROBES

BLIND-HOLE STYLE

THRU-HOLE STYLE

BLIND-HOLE PROBE
WITH HANDLE

TAPER PLUG

Western’s I.D. air gages are  available  for use with all major  air gage  readouts (comparators):

• Western Micro-Air comparators
• Western dial type comparators
• Mahr-Federal Dimensionaires
• Sheffield columns
• Edmunds  air comparators
• Etamic  air  comparators
• Contact us for additional makes & models

Call, FAX or E-mail for price & delivery Please specify:

• Air Gage Readout  to be used.
• Bore size & tolerance.
• Style (thru-hole, blind-hole).

Air Probes

The air probe (also referred to as an air plug gage, air spindle or mandrel) consists of a precision ground hardened steel body incorporating two or more air gage nozzles. Air is passed through the probe body to the nozzles where a back pressure is produced by the surface of the workpiece. An air gage readout (air comparator) senses the resulting back pressure and displays the size of the workpiece.

As shown in the drawing, the nozzle tips are recessed a small amount below the body of the probe. This feature makes the air gage measurement essentially non-contact; consequently, wear does not directly affect the accuracy of the gage measurement. Moreover, the flow of air purges the gaging surface of contaminants making the measurements highly reliable.

Through the use of the opposed set of nozzles, the measurement is made independent of how the operator positions the probe radially within the test bore. This "differential" type of measurement makes it possible to obtain highly accurate measurements with limited operator skill.

Air probe styles vary depending on how close the air jets are to the leading edge of the probe body. "Thru-hole" style probes have gaging nozzles located near the center of the probe body. "Blind" or "Super-blind" probe styles have nozzles located near the leading edge.