Lathe DRO - Digital Read Out - Mitutoyo

With it's High Tech, Futuristic* styling, the DRO (Digital Read Out), brings our lovely old lathe right up to date. You do not need to use the DRO to use to lathe, it is quicker than the scales on the handwheels so can help to speed up positioning and general cutting operations. Although you will still need to use Micrometers and Calipers to make final accurate finishing cuts.

• The top row represents the position of the cross slide, where positive is away from you.
• The lower row (Y-Axis) measures travel along the lathe.

The DRO is very precise, the readings are to 3 decimal places of a millimetre, that is 1 micron accuracy, and it is independent of any backlash in the machine. (For a reasonable comparison of how small a micron is, if you touch a metal part, you will add a 2 microns thickness of grease to the surface.)

There are 2 silver aluminium channels fixed to the lathe, the sensor scales are within these channels

For a Comical Explanation of what a DRO is, see this old Tony. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/nTG1TTR1CJk

Big thanks to Chris Whyrlpool, for repairing this DRO, by creating a whole new keypad.

*Well, Futuristic for 1985.