In many laboratories and production environments, we encounter surface texture calibration patches that look like this. Hopefully yours don’t look quite this bad, but let’s take a deeper look at this damage. Calibration patch surfaces are typically made of electroformed nickel, so they can be relatively soft. As a result, we often assume that the … Read more
If you work in manufacturing you likely think of “surface texture analysis” as a tool for quality control or for improving functionality. But there are many applications beyond the factory walls in which surface analysis can lead to new discoveries or new ways of looking at the world. Carrie Rowe is a doctoral candidate in … Read more
In many applications, crowned profile geometries are employed to optimize load carrying and durability. As an example, crowned profiles are used in roller bearings to control local contact stresses. As the image below shows, the shape of the roller bearing surface relates to the stress pattern that develops when the bearing is pressed into its … Read more
Digital Metrology wants you to be able to access and explore your data as easily as possible. After all—it is YOUR DATA. Recently Digital Metrology created the OmniSurf3D data file format (*.os3d) for efficient storage, reading, and writing of surface topography data. This file format is portable across operating systems and can be coded directly … Read more
You’ve heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This is very true in the analysis of 3D (areal) surface texture. While parameters with numerical values offer some degree of understanding… a picture can often be more instructive.* The false colors in this 3D surface map (from our OmniSurf3D analysis software) indicate the … Read more
If you work with coatings, electrical contacts, sliding surfaces, substrates for painting, etc., you know that controlling surface peaks can be the difference between a functional part and a failed one. The Peak Analysis in OmniSurf3D is an interactive tool for visualizing the peak material. Click and drag the cutting plane on the Material Ratio … Read more