Many times, the mechanical design of workpieces includes specifications that define parameters such as surface roughness or ripples. The Polytec TopMap surface measurement method based on white light interference principle can obtain the entire non-contact three-dimensional area data in just a few seconds, while the tactile method requires longer measurement time. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional area parameters (ISO 25178-2, ISO 4287, ISO 4288) can be quickly and easily determined. Three dimensional planar measurement can provide a visual representation of surface details and give a very accurate numerical representation, such as displaying height and dimensions. Although these scales may be very small, the information they typically provide is directly related to how the surface is produced, how to maintain engineering quality, or identify manufacturing defects and faults. This type of measurement feedback can be used for process control, maintaining the quality and consistency of functional surfaces.
Table parameters
Every time a workpiece is produced, the smallest details and strictest manufacturing tolerances, especially in the fields of technology, functionality, and precision surfaces, can affect the performance of the surface. Here, manufacturers must accurately inspect and quantify many different shape tolerances, such as shape, size, and texture, as well as other positional tolerances, such as parallelism and angle, to ensure that all critical dimensions meet the required specifications. TopMap surface metrology is developed specifically to meet the most stringent tolerances of precision manufactured components.
Flatness and parallelism
In the case of functional surfaces, measuring specific parameters is often crucial, such as the flatness and parallelism of precision manufactured components (such as sealing surfaces of fuel injectors or pumps). These surfaces are designed to work under high pressure and require careful manufacturing, continuous manufacturing, and constant quality inspection as an essential step in the manufacturing process. Polytec's TopMap optical 3D measurement system is specifically designed for automation and ease of use, providing accurate measurement data as reliable feedback for the production process. TopMap can accurately characterize the parallelism and planarity of large field of view (FoV) directly at the production level and quality control laboratory, thus enabling rapid and comprehensive characterization of key components.
Height and steps
The three-dimensional detection of the interaction between step height, angle, and surface often requires a large vertical measurement range. The TopMap white light interferometer provides a large vertical measurement range, up to 70 millimeters or even more, depending on the model. This large vertical range allows for the measurement of small and large step heights, even on surfaces that are difficult to access, such as deeply concave surfaces. The feature of TopMap is its telecentric optical design, which avoids shadow effects while providing reliable measurements of key nanoscale, microscopic, or macroscopic step heights. Automatic software such as pattern recognition helps optimize data processing and eliminates the need for complex workpiece mechanical fixation. This enhanced automation greatly increases speed, output, and data quality.
Surface roughness measurement
Accurate and stable measurement of surface roughness is often crucial for maintaining quality in quality control, research, product development, and production. Traditional contour parameters are often two-dimensional. These roughness parameters, known as the "R" parameters, have been well established and understood. Here, the three-dimensional region "S" parameter serves as a supplement, as the interaction between functional surfaces requires region analysis. The surface morphology is three-dimensional in nature. A single linear profile cannot identify pits or valleys, peaks or ridges. Any measurement and analysis of a profile or cross-section, even with proper control, can only provide an incomplete description of the true surface morphology. The information provided by regional surface topography is much more comprehensive. TopMap 3D surface metrology from PolyGram provides two-dimensional and three-dimensional area parameters that comply with ISO 25178-2, ISO 4287, and ISO 4288.
Microstructure and Microsystems
Microstructure is a very small structure that is often difficult for the human eye to see. The functionality of these surface types is influenced by tiny physical changes in defects at the micrometer and nanometer levels. Therefore, high-resolution surface detection is an important aspect of surface characterization in the field of microsystem technology. The TopMaps series of microscope based surface profilers provides a fast, non-invasive surface detail detection with excellent repeatability. TopMap optical 3D surface measurement instrument is your best choice for reliable and stable characterization of micro nano devices, microstructures, complex surfaces, and microsystems.
Layer thickness
Wherever it is necessary to determine coating thickness, whether in the laboratory, at the production level, or even on the production line, Polytec can provide measurement solutions for layer thickness and/or multi-layer thickness. All of this is done in a non-contact and non-destructive manner. The application range of layer thickness detection is very wide, from film thickness to coating detection or wear analysis of coating surfaces, such as functional surfaces of automotive, aerospace or medical components. TopMap's non-contact optical measurement system is also used in many industries to help improve production and assist in product research and development.
ISO standard table for surface parameters
Many mathematical descriptions of surface parameters can be found in various international standards. In practical applications, ISO 4287 and ISO 13565 for 2D parameters, as well as ISO 25178 for surface roughness, are particularly important. These standards define and describe commonly used texture parameters. For a large number of parameters in the longitudinal section standard, equivalent area parameters can be found in the published standards. In addition, regional terrain assessment also brings additional benefits due to its three-dimensional nature.
The amplitude or height surface parameters commonly used in practice are mostly extended to regional evaluation. The area assessment of terrain shows the advantage of lower sensitivity in measuring location compared to contour based assessment, providing more reliable measurement results, especially for uneven and defective surfaces. However, the surface parameter family as a whole has one thing in common, which is that they cannot represent the functional differences between different types of surfaces. This means that surfaces manufactured and designed differently may still exhibit the same results in terms of surface parameters.
