Here’s a challenging measurement. We want to look at the surface texture of this O-ring: With a small radius and cross-section, steep sides, and soft material, it’s almost impossible to measure with a stylus. An optical system can do the job, though. Here’s a measurement made with a Zygo ZeGage at 10X magnification, shown in … Read more
Can I trust my measurement? Asking that question every time we measure drives us to be careful—and that keeps us producing meaningful results. Let’s look at a “simple” shop floor measurement of surface finish, made with a skidded instrument. And, let’s explore something that you might not imagine: “upward” dirt on the surface can cause … Read more
The “material ratio curve” tells us how much material we encounter (as a percentage) as we slice through a surface at various depths. You may also see it called the Abbott-Firestone Curve (based on the two engineers who developed it) or the Bearing Ratio Curve. The curve appears is a standard component of our OmniSurf, … Read more
It seems like the sport of Pickleball is everywhere these days! It’s definitely a game of skill…but having the right equipment doesn’t hurt, either. We were curious how big a difference there might be between Pickleball paddles, so we put a couple under the microscope (this is the kind of thing we do for fun). … Read more
The Rk parameters (Rk, Rpk, Rvk, Rmr1, Rmr2) are commonly used to specify and control plateau honing. However, there is a particular aspect of these parameters that can fool you… and it’s all about Rvk. Let’s take a step back and look at the plateau honing process. We start by honing a relatively rough, semi-finished … Read more
Controlling surface texture requires graphical data—and teamwork You’ve seen that controlling surface texture offers huge benefits for performance and wear. You’ve made the investment in measurement equipment. So, is there any benefit in spending more money on additional analysis software? We asked one of the most successful people in motorsports to find out. Here’s a … Read more