Digital Calipers

What is a digital caliper?

Digital Calipers utilise an LCD display to provide measurements far more accurate than vernier or dial calipers can produce. Traditional calipers relied on the user’s eyesight and field of vision to read the value on a scale, which often led to human error and inaccurate measurements. Digital Calipers alleviate this by providing measurements to 2 decimal places (metric) in an easy-to-read format.

 Standard digital calipers (incorrectly referred to as digital verniers) are supplied in either standard widths up to 0-300mm (0-12”) and wide range up to 2000mm/78” (2m) width.  Digital Calipers have outside measuring jaws for measuring external diameters or areas of a workpiece. Digital calipers feature LCD displays of the measurement reading and can measure in metric to 2 decimal places (0.01mm) or inches to 0.0005”. 

How would you use a digital caliper?

Always start by ensuring the jaws are clean and the zero datum is set accurately with the jaws closed. To find external measurements, place the item to be measured between the two external jaws and then close to contact the workpiece.  The measurement can then be taken. Similarly, internal measurements can be taken using the two internal jaws. Depth measurements are achieved using the blade at the tip of the caliper, with the edge of the caliper body resting at the hole entrance and the blade touching the deepest point of the hole.

Certain digital calipers can be supplied either with or without thumb rollers for fine measurement and adjustment. ABSOLUTE Mitutoyo calipers require no origin setting after power-on and had no response speed limits on it.