Portable thickness gauges

22/06/2021

A range of compact hand-held gauges for measuring the coating or paint thickness on carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and metal substrates is now available in the UK from Micro-Epsilon. Based on microwave technology, the gauges measure the total layer thickness of insulating materials with micrometer precision.

Knowing the thickness of paint applied to a CFRP or metal substrate is valuable for manufacturers and users alike. Too much paint can lead to increased weight and stiffness, as well as the excess cost of raw materials and rework. Too little paint could lead to premature ageing or poor aesthetic quality of the final product.

Two non-destructive coating thickness gauge ranges are available from Micro-Epsilon. The Fast Surface Check (FSC) series, which includes the FSC1/7 and FSC1000 versions, is said to be the preferred choice of renowned aircraft manufacturers, airlines and paint shops and these products are approved, recognised and listed as ‘thickness gauges for the aviation industry’ by the manufacturers.

The Industrial Surface Check (ISC1000) series is designed for general industrial and process manufacturing applications. This coating thickness gauge is used for random thickness checks, process control and quality inspections on CFRP substrates, including CFRP laid materials, CFRP woven materials, CFRP with lightning protection and metals.

With FSC and ISC gauges, neither the target surface (coating or paint) nor the substrate is affected by the measurement. In the case of multi-layer coatings, the total thickness of insulating layers is always measured up to the first conductive material layer. The measurement can be performed on any metallic substrate with the same signal quality, regardless of electric and magnetic properties. The gauges are factory-calibrated and can then be individually adjusted to the customer’s substrate (CFRP, metals, etc) using the calibration foils included. The adjustment only needs to be carried out once for measurement on any metal substrate.

FSC and ISC gauges are supplied with a separate controller with a large liquid crystal touch display for indicating measurement values. The controller offers numerous functions, including measurement value memory with USB data export, statistical functions, individual adjustment possibilities and dynamic tilt prevention, which warns the user if there is movement during the measurement.

The measurement is triggered by pressing a button on the sensor or via the controller. Each FSC or ISC device is supplied in a robust hard case with a complete set of accessories, including a battery pack, a charger, cables and calibration foils.

www.micro-epsilon.co.uk

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