Serving as the benchmark for all measurements, surface plates play a pivotal role in quality checking and control. This surface is extremely flat that comes in Grade-00 to Grade-3 flatness accuracy substandard. Machine shops, all types of precise manufacturing, defense, automotive, and aerospace manufacturers require tight tolerances for machine shop tools and surface plates are widely used to assess out of accuracy or warped areas on manufactured parts.
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As far as use is concerned, surface plates must be calibrated on a regular basis, at least once to twice a year, but most efficiently and for long-lasting use, it is to be calibrated every six months. Problems usually occur in certain areas having frequent use, so frequent calibration will make sure of chipping, warping, or wear has not observed. An uneven surface will impact the efficient functionality of the whole plate causing errors in measurements and the passing of checked defected parts.
To make an ideal surface plate, the material must have the following requirements.
Cast Iron is the most commonly used material in manufacturing, machine shops, and shop floor as it provides the best surface plates over the other materials. and hard annealed in order to relieve internal stresses. The surface plates are made up of Cast Iron (C.I) are duly provided heat treatment for relieving internal stresses. The top surface of the surface plate is manufactured as absolute flat. The backside of the surface plates is having cored and ribbed structure to increase the structural rigidity to withstand the heavy loads.
Granite surface plates are best known due to their rustless properties. Granite surface plates remain unaffected by the change in temperature and Heat as well so hence it can maintain the flatness for a longer period of time. The hardness of the granite surface plates is more than the C. I Surface Plates.
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Apparently, surface plates can also be made up of Glass. The main reasons to make the surface plates from the glass are due to the following reasons.
But they need to be handled carefully they can be broken. Ceramic Surface plates are slowly replacing the glass.
A surface plate provides a precisely accurate plain surface that is wear-resistant, and in the case of the granite surface, it has a very low thermal coefficient of expansion, so this helps its flatness resilience against temperature excursions. Heights may be measured and surfaces marked accurately.
Not that I intend to do it (yet) but mostly for my personal education.
I have seen the suburban tool you tube video where they talked about refurbishing machines and had these large steel tables which they had scraped as reference. from my understanding you would need a larger surface as a reference, but they had 4x8 and larger tables. So their reference tables would be even larger, and they need calibrating as well, which would require even larger tables...
OK here the question, assuming one would not be able (lack of space, money, etc.) to buy a large granite table as a reference. Is there a way to scrape a steel plate flat with a reference smaller than the plate I want to scrape? For example, would it be possible to buy a 12" x 12" granite stone which is calibrated and use this to scrape an 24"x24" steel plate?
If so how would one go about it? I am aware of the three surface lapping method. but well then you end up with three plates and not one...
I am perfectly aware that this is far from economical, it just boggles my mind. In woodworking I use straight edges and winding sticks, which is mostly by eye and I don't seek perfect flatness.
If this is a stupid question, please feel free to tell me, but I am really curious
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