The Authority in Precision Thread Depth Gaging | Leitech US
Thread Size and Depth. Measured Simultanesously. In one motion.
This Is How Thread Depth Gets Done.
Thread Size and Depth. One Insertion. One Reading.
As the GO member verifies functional thread size, the telescoping sleeve delivers a direct numerical depth reading — simultaneously. No counting turns. No secondary tools. No estimation.
Leitech US
1134 N. 9th St.
Suite 280
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Phone: 414-333-6310
leitech.com
Standard COMBI: The Production Workhorse
Digi-COMBI: Instant Clarity and Digital Documentation
Standard COMBI: The Production Workhorse
- The Problem: Traditional gaging requires multiple tools or unreliable turn-counting to estimate depth. Fixed-depth gages multiply costs and clutter the gage lab.
- The Leitech Solution: One Standard COMBI measures any depth within its range, delivering the actual numerical value needed to adjust CNC offsets — instantly.
- Impact: Repla
- The Problem: Traditional gaging requires multiple tools or unreliable turn-counting to estimate depth. Fixed-depth gages multiply costs and clutter the gage lab.
- The Leitech Solution: One Standard COMBI measures any depth within its range, delivering the actual numerical value needed to adjust CNC offsets — instantly.
- Impact: Replaces entire sets of fixed-depth gages. One tool covers variable depths across multiple parts. 0.5mm / 0.025" resolution. Built for high-volume production floors.
Hi-Resolution COMBI: Precision in Tight Spaces
Digi-COMBI: Instant Clarity and Digital Documentation
Standard COMBI: The Production Workhorse
- The Problem: Tighter tolerances and confined spaces force operators to guess depth readings or remove the part entirely for measurement.
- The Leitech Solution: 0.1mm / 0.005" resolution with a unique locking device that freezes the depth reading — so you capture the value in a hard-to-reach area and read it once the tool is removed.
- Impa
- The Problem: Tighter tolerances and confined spaces force operators to guess depth readings or remove the part entirely for measurement.
- The Leitech Solution: 0.1mm / 0.005" resolution with a unique locking device that freezes the depth reading — so you capture the value in a hard-to-reach area and read it once the tool is removed.
- Impact: The go-to instrument for aerospace, medical, and defense components where depth variance is a compliance issue, not just a quality issue.
Digi-COMBI: Instant Clarity and Digital Documentation
Digi-COMBI: Instant Clarity and Digital Documentation
Digi-COMBI: Instant Clarity and Digital Documentation
- The Problem: Manual data entry slows the shop floor and introduces transcription errors in the gage lab. Paper logs don't satisfy modern quality audits.
- The Leitech Solution: Ultra-precise 0.01mm / 0.0005" LCD readout with RS232 and wireless output for instant, error-free data collection directly into your SPC system.
- Impact: Elimin
- The Problem: Manual data entry slows the shop floor and introduces transcription errors in the gage lab. Paper logs don't satisfy modern quality audits.
- The Leitech Solution: Ultra-precise 0.01mm / 0.0005" LCD readout with RS232 and wireless output for instant, error-free data collection directly into your SPC system.
- Impact: Eliminates parallax error, manual entry, and operator subjectivity. Built for Industry 4.0 shops that need a complete digital audit trail for every threaded hole.
DMG COMBI: The Ultimate in Consistency
Digi-COMBI: Instant Clarity and Digital Documentation
Digi-COMBI: Instant Clarity and Digital Documentation
- The Problem: Operator feel and torque variability produce inconsistent readings across shifts and automated cells. Human fatigue compounds the problem in high-volume environments.
- The Leitech Solution: Standardized motorized torque ensures identical entry force for every single measurement — shift after shift, operator after operato
- The Problem: Operator feel and torque variability produce inconsistent readings across shifts and automated cells. Human fatigue compounds the problem in high-volume environments.
- The Leitech Solution: Standardized motorized torque ensures identical entry force for every single measurement — shift after shift, operator after operator.
- Impact: Engineered for maximum throughput in automated environments. Combines the speed of power-driven gaging with the precision of a calibrated Leitech instrument.
The Guide to Thread Depth Inspection
In high-precision manufacturing, a thread that is "close enough" is a failure. Whether you are a Quality Engineer auditing a gage lab or a Machinist optimizing a high-volume production run, this guide defines the NIST-traceable standard for functional thread measurement.
For the Quality Professional, the challenge isn't just measuring a hole—it’s maintaining absolute Process Control. This guide explores the transition from traditional, multi-step gaging to the System Leitech—the original dual-measurement solution. By consolidating thread size verification and functional depth inspection into one calibrated operation, you can eliminate operator subjectivity, satisfy the most rigorous ISO 1502 audits, and reclaim up to 45% of your inspection time.
Simultaneous Size and Depth Measurement: Threaded or Cylindrical Holes
As the GO thread member enters the feature, the internal telescoping measuring sleeve automatically rests against the part face, providing a direct numerical depth reading. This single-operation approach eliminates the need for separate depth micrometers or the unreliable practice of counting turns or eyeballing depth steps.
Applications Across Industries
- Threaded blind holes: Tapped holes, bottoming threads, threaded features
- Cylindrical features: Reamed holes, bored holes, drilled bores
- Industries: Aerospace, Automotive, Medical Devices, Heavy Equipment, Oil & Gas, Defense
The Variable-Depth Advantage:
- One Tool, Infinite Depths: A single Leitech gage replaces an entire set of fixed-depth step gages. Whether you have one part with multiple depths or several parts with the same thread size, one tool measures them all directly.
- Eliminate Guesswork: Replace subjective "eyeballing" with NIST traceable numerical values for GR&R studies. This actual data also allows for immediate, precise adjustments to CNC offsets and tapping machines.
- Metrological Sustainability: Reduced waste starts with a smaller tool inventory. Fewer gages mean lower calibration costs, less storage, and zero redundant tooling waste.
The Challenge: Subjective Thread Inspection
- Traditional thread inspection requires separate tools and multiple operations, leading to critical inefficiencies.
- Zero Traceability: "Counting turns" is subjective and error-prone.
- Limited Data: Standard "depth steps" only indicate pass/fail—not the actual numerical measurement values required for modern quality audits.
- Accessibility Issues: Blind holes and bottoming threads remain difficult to access and verify with traditional methods.
The Leitech Solution: One-Operation Efficiency
- Our precision telescoping sleeve provides an instant, error-proof depth reading while the GO member verifies functional size in one fluid motion. Whether inspecting aerospace blind holes, automotive tapped holes, or medical features, Leitech delivers metrological certainty where estimation fails.
- 50% Faster Inspection: Eliminate guesswork and turn-counting to reduce your inspection time by half.
- Direct Numerical Data: Deliver 100% traceable, numerical readings for NIST-compliant quality audits and SPC integration.
- Standardized Consistency: Eliminate operator variability with standardized torque (DMG) to ensure maximum GR&R.
The Result: Inventory Efficiency & Tool Longevity
- Stop buying multiple gages to check a single thread size. One patented Leitech COMBI Gage replaces an entire set of fixed-depth tools, allowing you to measure variable thread depths across various precision parts with one instrument.
- Sustainable Metrology: Utilize Member Removal Sleeves to extract worn inserts, keeping the precision handle in service indefinitely.
- Infinite Renewal: Use a Calibration Master (Standard/Hi-Res) or Setting Discs (Digi/DMG) to reset the depth scale and renew your handles for a lifetime of use.
Manufacturers Trust Leitech for Thread Depth Gaging Solution
Faq's: Thread Depth Inspection
General & Performance
Q: What is the most efficient way to measure functional thread depth?
A: The Leitech COMBI Gage performs a functional size check and delivers a direct numerical depth reading in a single operation, eliminating the need for separate depth micrometers or unreliable turn-counting methods.
Q: How do you inspect and verify the depth of a tapped blind hole or bottoming thread?
A: The Leitech COMBI utilizes a precision telescoping sleeve that automatically rests against the part face as the GO member enters the thread. This provides a repeatable, traceable measurement of functional thread engagement depth for the fastener, preventing assembly failure and bottoming-out.
Q: What is "functional thread depth" and why does it matter?
A: Functional thread depth is the actual usable thread available for fastener engagement, measured from the first full thread ridge. Unlike nominal depth (which only measures to the bottom of the hole), functional depth ensures assembly safety and prevents fastener bottoming-out failures.
Q: Can I use Leitech gages for cylindrical holes?
A: Yes. System Leitech provides the same "Size + Depth" efficiency for cylindrical features as it does for threads. Our Cylindrical COMBI Gages verify the functional diameter of reamed, bored, or drilled holes while simultaneously capturing a direct numerical depth reading.
Q: How does Leitech reduce gage inventory costs?
A: Unlike fixed-step gages that only check one depth, the COMBI's telescoping sleeve measures variable depths directly. One tool replaces an entire set of fixed gages for that thread size.
Q: How much faster is Leitech compared to traditional methods?
A: By combining size and depth verification into one operation, Leitech reduces inspection time by approximately 50% compared to using separate gages or counting turns.
Q: What tool is used to measure thread depth?
A: The most efficient and accurate tool for measuring functional thread depth is the Leitech COMBI Thread Depth Gage. Unlike traditional methods that require separate gages or unreliable "turn counting," the Leitech System performs a functional size check and delivers a direct numerical depth reading in a single operation. This "One Tool, Dual Measurement" approach is the global industry standard for precision manufacturing.
Q: How do you check the depth of a thread accurately?
A: To check thread depth accurately, you must measure the functional thread engagement rather than just the nominal hole depth. Using a Leitech COMBI gage, the internal telescoping sleeve automatically rests against the part face as the "GO" member enters the thread. This provides a repeatable, NIST-traceable measurement of the usable thread available for fastener engagement, eliminating "operator feel" and parallax error.
Q: What is the rule for thread depth in precision machining?
A: The fundamental rule for thread depth is ensuring enough functional engagement to meet the load requirements of the fastener without bottoming out. According to ISO 1502 and ASME B1.2 standards, this must be measured from the first full thread. Leitech gages are engineered specifically to this rule, with the measuring scale calibrated to the first full thread ridge (held to a strict 0.5 pitch tolerance) for absolute compliance.
Technical & Compliance
Q: Is the Leitech COMBI system compliant with FED-STD-H28?
A: Yes. The Leitech system provides full conformance to FED-STD-H28, Section 6A. The crest of the first full thread on Leitech GO members is held to a strict 0.5 pitch tolerance (+0 / -0.06 pitch) from the front face.
Q: What is the difference between "functional depth" and "nominal depth"?
A: Functional depth measures the actual usable thread available for a fastener to engage, accounting for the thread lead-in. Nominal depth simply measures to the bottom of the hole. Leitech gages are calibrated to provide functional depth—the measurement that matters for assembly integrity.
Q: How do I eliminate "operator feel" variability in thread gaging?
A: The Digital Motorized Gauge (DMG-COMBI) uses a motorized handle to apply standardized, consistent torque for every measurement, completely removing operator variability from the inspection process.
Q: How much time can be saved using a Leitech COMBI gage?
A: On average, the System Leitech reduces inspection time by 45% to 50%. By consolidating size verification and depth measurement into one single step, shops reclaim significant machine capacity and reduce labor costs in high-volume production environments like Automotive and Aerospace.
Q: Can one Leitech gage replace multiple fixed-limit gages?
A: Yes. Because the Leitech COMBI features a variable telescoping scale, one single tool can measure any depth within its range for that specific thread size. This allows manufacturers to reduce their gage inventory by up to 72%, as they no longer need to stock multiple "step gages" for different part numbers.
Maintenance & Automation
Q: How do I calibrate a Leitech COMBI Gage?
A: Calibration is performed using the Leitech Calibration Master to establish a precise, pitch-based Calibration Length (X). By adjusting the telescoping measuring sleeve to this traceable constant, Quality Manufacturing Managers ensure 100% measurement accuracy. This repeatable process guarantees that your thread depth data remains compliant with ISO/IATF and FED-STD-H28 international standards.
Q: Can I integrate Leitech gages into an automated SPC system?
A: Yes. The Digi-COMBI and motorized DMG-COMBI are engineered for Industry 4.0 integration, featuring RS232 and wireless data output for real-time SPC (Statistical Process Control). By transmitting actual numerical depth values directly to your quality software, these gages eliminate manual data entry errors and provide the 100% traceability required in modern, high-precision manufacturing.
Q: Can one Leitech gage measure different thread depths of the same size?
A: Absolutely. This is the core of Leitech Inventory Efficiency. Unlike traditional fixed-step gages that only verify one pre-set dimension, a single Standard COMBI Gage utilizes a telescoping sleeve to provide a direct numerical reading of any depth within its range. This allows Gage Labs to replace an entire set of several gages with one universal tool, significantly reducing calibration costs.
Q: Can Leitech gages be used in automated robotic inspection cells?
A: Yes, the DMG-COMBI (Digital Motorized Gage) is specifically designed for robotic automation. It features variable speed settings and wireless data transmission, but its greatest advantage is standardized motorized torque. By eliminating "operator feel" and providing consistent measurement force, the DMG-COMBI ensures maximum GR&R (Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility) in 24/7 automated production environments.
Q: Are Leitech thread gages repairable or renewable?
A: Yes. Unlike standard gages that must be scrapped when the "GO" end wears down, the System Leitech features Replaceable Inserts. Using our specialized Removal Sleeves, a worn insert can be swapped out in seconds, essentially renewing the tool at a fraction of the cost of a full replacement. This "Renewable" design is what makes Leitech the most cost-effective long-term solution for Tier 1 suppliers.
Q: Does Leitech offer solutions for non-threaded holes? A: Absolutely. The Cylindrical COMBI Gage provides the same "Size + Depth" efficiency for reamed, bored, or drilled holes. It allows for the simultaneous verification of hole diameter and functional depth, ensuring total quality control for every precision-machined feature.
Stop guess and start measuring! From the standard workhorse to motorized automation, there is a Leitech COMBI solution designed to bring 100% metrological certainty to your shop floor.
Contact us today for a quote or a live demo of the COMBI system.
Authorized Master Distributor and Technical Support for the USA, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.