Taylor Hobson Unveils Portable Surface Roughness Inspection Device

N/Ag infrared technology, the Surtronic DUO is a portable, shopfloor tool designed for fast surface roughness measurement. This battery-powered device can be used as an entry-level instrument in small shops or as a production tool for shops with multiple inspection stations. It works with two parameters, Ra and Rz, the most frequently specified process control checks.

The instrument has an innovative design where it splits in two pieces. The bottom half contains the traverse mechanism and stylus pick-up assembly. The top half includes a large LCD display, start button, and inch/metric conversion button. To use, place the bottom half on the surface you want to measure. Hold the top half in your hand, push the start button, wait 3 seconds, and read the result on the digital display. At 2½ x 3 x 1½ in., the traverse unit can be placed almost anywhere, even on a component still fixtured in a machining center.

The Surtronic DUO — which employs a two-piece design — delivers surface roughness measurement with high reliability and ±5% accuracy.

This instrument uses an infrared link between the upper and lower units to provide remote, cableless operation up to 40 in. away. In addition, digital circuitry using surface mount technology provides remote operation and other benefits. According to the company, features such as long battery life, high reliability, and ±5% accuracy are usually not included in an instrument at this price level.

The device is calibrated by pushing a button to select the mode; using the roughness standard supplied with the instrument, the operator then takes measurements. Data storage and subsequent measurement compensation based on the calibration constant are completely automatic.

Other specifications include:

• gaging range of 0.0078 in. (200 µin.)
• electronic resolution of 0–4 µin. (0.01 µm)
• display resolution of 1 µin. (0.1 µm)
• overall size: 5 x 3 x 1½ in.; weight is 7 oz

A diamond stylus with 200 µin. (5 µm) radius is coupled with a piezoelectric pick-up to detect amplitude deviations along the 0.2 in. (5 mm) traverse distance. Filtering is done using a standard 0.03 in. (0.8 mm) cutoff.

For more information, contact <%=company%>, 2100 Golf Rd., Ste. 350, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008. Tel: 800-872-7265; Fax: 847-290-1430.

Edited by Nancy Katz