Is a smaller stylus tip radius better for measuring roughness? Is a larger tip more durable? The stylus tip radius influences what we see in surface texture measurement data. Since every tip is a little different, the resulting roughness values can be different even when you are trying to use the “same” radius. To make … Read more
Are the peaks that you are seeing in your surface texture measurement real? It’s a critical question, as peaks may cause all kinds of issues for an interface. The trouble is, in some cases the peaks that you see in your graphs may not be real at all…they may be artifacts of the filtering operation. … Read more
If we are controlling things like sealing in gaskets, or noise in bearings and gears, the longer-wavelength waviness may be more important than the surface roughness. In this video we look at how we extract waviness from surface texture data, using a “cutoff wavelength” to determine what will be called waviness and what will be … Read more
In our previous Notepad Series video we introduced the Material Ratio Curve. Today we look at the “Rk Parameters” which are derived from that curve. These parameters help us describe the peaks, valleys, and core region of a surface. All three regions may play important roles in how a surface will function: how it will wear, … Read more
In “The Material Ratio Curve” we look at this rather well-known curve (historically known as the Abbott-Firestone Curve). It shows us the amount of material that we encounter as we move further down into a surface. That can tell us a lot about the surface: how durable it may be, how it could carry lubrication, … Read more
In “Rz (Average Peak-to-Valley Roughness)” we look at the world’s second most common surface texture parameter. Our eye can do a pretty good job of telling us the general roughness of a surface. Rz works similarly. One caveat: there are other definitions of Rz out there—we will show you the differences and what to look … Read more