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Concept

Surface plate metrology

A detailed illustration of a precision surface plate, featuring a central bearing and multiple mounting points, symbolizing its role in dimensional metrology.

The branch of dimensional metrology that uses a flat reference surface — historically cast iron, now usually granite — as the datum against which every other measurement is taken. Heights, parallelism, squareness and form are all derived by comparing a workpiece to the plate using gauges that ride on it. Modern surface plates are certified flat to a few millionths of an inch over their full area.

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